


There's Always Tomorro

by Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: ALKDSFMAWIEFAOWEFL, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Aquaphobia, Basically just a recovery fic, Crying, Dehydration, Don’t worry there’s fluff, EVERYTHING IS PLATAONIC OKAY, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, I made the mistake of not re-watching the ghost season before writing this, I regret nothing though, I think that's it for tags so ONWARD!!, Like, Low Self Esteem, Minor Self Harm, Morro (Ninjago) Redemption, Morro has no idea how to care for an actual physical form, Morro just digs his nails into his skin at one point, Morro technically dies at one point but he’s fine cause I can do whatever I want, Morro’s self esteem is kinda low, Nightmares, No beta we die like Garmadon, Or maybe it is bUT THERE’S FLUFF AND COMFORT SO!!!, POV Alternating, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationships, Pretty much everybody gets a bit from their POV, Pretty much everyone is traumatized, SO, This idea whacked me upside the head and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it, This isn’t as angsty as it sounds I swear, Trauma Recovery, Unreliable Narrator, and character development, and forgets to drink water, and honestly I'm not even mad lksdmfaoief, be safe, consistent chapter lengths? i don’t know her, everyone needs therapy wow ldsfkmafd, it’s Morro XD, it’s mainly focused on Morro, nothing too bad, panic attacks galore, pretty much every chapter actually, questionable characterization, really low lsdkfadf, self-neglect, so everything’s a mess LOL, so if that’s triggering for you please tread carefully, so we don’t get into much for the other characters angst and trauma, there are hints all over the place tho lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 49,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27635941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21/pseuds/Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21
Summary: Had a thought, wrote a fic. You're welcome.OrI'm really bad at summaries today but it's a Morro Redemtion arch what else do you want me to say skdflksadflj
Relationships: Cole & Morro (Ninjago), Jay Walker & Morro (Ninjago), Kai & Morro (Ninjago), Lloyd Garmadon & Morro, Morro & Sensei Wu (Ninjago), Morro & everybody, Morro & the Ninja, Nya & Morro (Ninjago), Zane & Morro (Ninjago), they all get a chapter or two with him
Comments: 302
Kudos: 136





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I used a terrible pun for the title, and I regret nothing. 
> 
> So I was just randomly possessed (HA, OH I’M HILARIOUS) with the urge to write Morro redemption arch AU thingie so, here we are XD 
> 
> It’s been a while since I’ve watched this season and I didn’t have access to any of the episodes to watch while writing most of this so it's sketchy as heck with SO MANY inconsistencies and things I probably forgot or consciously chose to ignore LOL (like I'm pretty sure the bounty was destroyed but I went right ahead and ignored that completely LAMSDFOIAWFE) 
> 
> This fic is basically "I'm ignoring canon and going from my memory of five years ago alone, while writing a self indulgent AU, because I had a vague concept, that I thought was cool, and promptly wrote a whole fic around the premises of the concept despite it catering literally to only me, wish me luck!" 
> 
> ANYWAY, BUCKLE UP! Prepare for nonsense of the highest calibre, and self indulgent ridiculousness, angst, hurt/comfort and everybody's a mess but they're all a mess together so it's okay.
> 
> READ THE TAGS PLEASE 
> 
> OKAY, NOW, HAPPY READING KLSDFMAWIOEFMADF

Being possessed was…

Weird. 

Uncomfortable too. The chilling cold and sense of wrongness settled so deep that he could feel it in his chest, like a hand had reached into him and grabbed his soul in a cold, crushing grip, and wouldn’t let go, caging everything he was between it’s fingers. Ice filled his limbs and it didn’t take long for the chill to make them numb enough that he almost forgot he had them. 

Everything was muffled at first. It was like… he was a spectator in his own body; watching things happen but he had no real connection to his physical form or the outside world. His vision was blurred into unrecognizable streaks of colour, and sounds were too echoey and muffled to understand properly. He was still looking out of his own eyes but couldn’t so much as blink on his own. He could feel his words vibrate in his throat and his mouth move despite him not saying anything--or maybe he was saying something, but it wasn’t him really him, was it? 

What broke through the fog was the panicked voices. Voices he recognized. Voices that sounded worried and scared. 

His vision sharpened for a moment, he could feel a numb tingling in the tips of his fingers, burning and almost painful and he fought for control, lashing out and scrabbling for a hold. 

For a moment, he thought he had it… 

Then chilling laughter rang through his head, loud enough to make his head hurt. 

“You think it would be that easy, little ninja?” the voice shook his entire being, freezing him so he couldn’t so much as think, paralyzed completely by fear or by something else. He could hear an echo of Morro’s increasingly familiar tone but… 

Whatever this was, it wasn’t Morro. 

The unseen force wrapped around his mind and _squeezed_ , crushing him and stamping him down pushing, and pushing, and pushing, and taking everything that made him who he was and compressing it into a tiny cube, squeezing him into a place that was too small for him until he was nothing at all. 

Something snapped. 

Then he was falling. 

He had no breath to scream as he plummeted, no wind whipped at his hair but his stomach dropped and it _felt_ like he was falling; like a dream, or rather a nightmare, but so much more real and terrifying. Morro’s laughter was his only company as he fell, the sound like a jackhammer to his head with an immeasurable force behind it. He may have screamed, or tried to, he couldn’t hear anything besides the laughter. 

He hit the ground hard, and he couldn’t breathe for a long moment; could only stare up at the immense blackness above him, mouth gaping and gasping wide open but air refusing to come in and no sound coming out, his chest crushing him. 

Then all at once things seemed to snap back, and he rolled over onto his hands and knees, coughing and sucking in desperate lungfuls of air into his aching lungs. His arms shook--his whole body was shaking really, everything felt really sharp and crisp, like someone had turned up his senses to eleven; his breathing was grating enough that his ears protested but he could hardly stop. 

Eventually he got it under control and looked up at his surroundings. 

He was kneeling in the middle of a massive crater, made from the force when he landed. The impact should have killed him, or knocked him out at the very least, maybe shattered some bones, but after he caught his breath and took stock of his limbs he found he hadn’t sustained any injuries. 

He really didn’t know how he was still alive. 

He looked out around him at the darkness stretching in every direction. He could see, but he couldn’t quite… see. There was a ground, he could feel it and… sort of see it, but it was displaced a little, like he was imagining it and every few seconds it would shimmer lightly, like a mirage. His breathing shouldn’t have echoed like it did, not with the nothingness stretching around him. 

He came to the conclusion that he was inside his own mind somewhere, but it felt so unfamiliar he couldn’t be sure. Really, he couldn’t be sure of anything, he didn’t know the first thing about being possessed. 

He shakily got to his feet, struggling to find his footing for a moment, staggering before finally getting his feet under him. 

Everything was raw and exposed, like he’d been stripped down to the bare essentials of who he was. His skin tingled with nerves but he couldn’t feel the fabric of his gi sliding against it when he moved. 

The feeling, or lack of, was unsettling and he decided he really didn’t like it. 

He took a moment to breathe, and wondered if breathing was even necessary in this place. If it was some sort of mindscape then it wouldn’t make any sense to need to. Perhaps it was simply his own mind coping with whatever Morro and that… thing had done to him. 

He looked up back the way he had come but could only see the blackness stretching upwards into nothingness. He abruptly felt very small. He could almost imagine the walls closing in and suffocating him--

No. 

No, he had to keep it together. He shook his head vigorously to snap himself out of it. No no panicking. Panicking was not helpful. He needed to figure out a plan, how to get out of this place and back to his own mind so he could gain control again and keep Morro from hurting his friends. 

He looked around him. 

“Easy,” he said aloud, his voice echoing back to him. “I just have to… find a way out.” 

He took a moment to breathe. 

“You can do this, Lloyd,” he said with finality. He nodded firmly and started forward. 

If there was a way out, he’d find it. 

He just had to keep moving. 

  
  
  
  
  


_______________________

  
  
  
  
  


The silence was really starting to get to him. 

There was no way to tell how long he’d been down here. From what he could tell his mind-projection-form-thingy body didn’t need food or water or sleep, but it did get tired, making his limbs heavy, and it very hard to keep his feet moving, so he spent some time meditating every once in a while to recuperate, which seemed to work well enough. 

It wasn’t a body, it was just… the physical manifestation of his mind, a mental projection if you will, so he needed to care for it like he would his mind. Easy. 

He kept moving. 

He wasn’t sure if he could find his way back to the crater that he made upon his entrance if he tried, if it even existed anymore, that is. 

He tried imagining and willing things into existence, like his elemental dragon or his power or even a comic book, just _something_ , but no matter what he tried it remained an empty wasteland as far as the eye could see. 

He spoke out loud, talking to himself a lot and even went so far as to sing, appreciating how the echo made his voice sound a lot better than it usually did. He was never really a fan of his singing voice, but he needed something to combat the suffocating silence that had been present since he’d landed and after a while he’d run out of things to say, or at least grew weary of talking to himself. 

Every once in a while he would feel a stab of fear or an unsettling feeling like something was watching him, or pursuing him. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck would stand up and a chill would run through him. The feeling always made him walk a little faster. 

Somehow it got darker, and he started to think maybe he was only going deeper into his subconscious instead of out of it like he wanted. 

The thought made him stop, and he stood motionless for a long while. 

He really had no idea how to get out. 

He looked out across the darkness in front of him. He’d been walking in the same direction for what felt like hours, but could have been days for all he knew. He needed to change what he was doing, but he wasn’t sure what else to do but pick a new direction and start walking again. It seemed so hopeless. 

He turned in a circle, picked a random direction then started walking again. 

There was a difference immediately. 

The feeling that he was being watched increased tenfold and it took everything in him to keep from running in the other direction. If the thing didn’t want him going this way, then he probably needed to. He hadn’t realized he’d been letting the feeling manipulate him into walking in whatever direction it wanted just so he’d avoid it, but now that he knew he wasn’t about to let it anymore. 

His feet got heavier with each step, like gravity was increasing or a ten-ton boulder was dropped on his shoulders with each stagger forward, but he pushed on, moving slowly, his body protesting under the weight of each movement. 

He fought off his exhaustion, and walked until it gradually started to grow lighter. He felt like laughing in relief and would have if he weren’t too busy trying to catch his breath. He was making progress, he might actually get out of there. 

A earth shattering shriek stopped him in his tracks. 

Ahead of him, a massive creature burst out from beneath the ground, slabs of rock, or whatever passed for rock exploding in Lloyd’s direction and he stumbled back to avoid being crushed, fear shooting through him. 

It was made of living shadow, a shapeless churning thing with smoky tentacles lashing out from every part of it, and it was _massive_. It was a far distance ahead of him but he still had to crane his head to look at it. 

The creature shrieked again and it’s one eye snapped to trap him in it’s gaze and Lloyd stiffened, one thought whispering in his mind urgently. 

_Run_. 

He turned and bolted. 

He could hear the creature charging after him, the ground shaking in its pursuit but he didn’t dare look back. 

He should have. 

Something caught his leg and it _burned_. 

He fell, barely catching himself, screaming as his ankle smoked where the shadowy tentacle was wrapped around it. 

More tentacles grabbed him, each point feeling as though someone had poured acid over them. 

He thrashed, screaming in agony then something in his chest snapped to attention him gasp and his entire body exploded with blinding light. The creature screamed in pain, dropping him like a hot coal. 

He hit the ground running, ignoring the pain from where the creature had touched him and the strange feeling of pins and needles lingering over the rest of him, not bothering to ask any questions about what had just happened, just accepting the opening for what it was and getting away from the thing. 

“Hey! Hey!” a new voice called, drawing his attention and his head snapped towards where the sound came from. 

His eyes landed on a fairly large set of double doors that looked like they were just standing by themselves without anything attached, a short distance away. There was actually light coming from it, unlike the rest of his mindscape, and despite not seeing any evidence from the outside, it looked to be an actual room, that the doors led to. A figure stood in the doorway waving wildly at him, nothing but a silhouette because of the light behind them.

“Over here!” they yelled at him. 

The creature’s next shriek was full of fury and he figured whoever they were, they couldn’t be much worse than what he was currently fleeing from. 

He stumbled towards them, leg nearly giving out several times as he ran. It had gone numb, which he knew probably wasn’t a great sign. 

It was nearly upon him when he reached the door and the silhouetted figure grabbed his arm and yanked him inside, before releasing his arm, with enough force that he was unceremoniously thrown further inside and away from the doors, tumbling onto the ground and struggling to right himself, rolling over unto his knees before looking up at whoever--whatever--had grabbed him, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. 

The someone stood between him and the creature, slamming the doors shut just and throwing themselves against it to keep them closed as it arrived. 

They were thrown back a step when the creature came into contact with the doors hard enough to rattle the ground, an angry shriek filling the space, and they growled back and threw themselves against the door with more force, pressing their shoulder against it to keep it shut against the creature’s onslaught. 

Lloyd scrambled back away from the doors, fearful panic still making his heart pound and keeping him from properly catching his breath. He staggered to his feet just as the creature hit the doors hard enough to throw the figure back several meters towards Lloyd. 

They let themselves slide and stumbled back a few steps, stopping just ahead of him and threw an arm out in front of him, to keep him back, putting themselves between Lloyd and the creature. 

The doors rattled and groaned threateningly but, somehow, held. The creature’s scream of frustration made his hair stand on end again, but the assault finally stopped. 

The two of them waited with baited breath, his rescuer’s shoulders tense; Lloyd’s ears straining in the sudden silence. 

A final bang against the door made him jump, and the figure in front of him tense further, but it seemed the creature had given up and he could hear it as it retreated, it’s snarls and shrieks fading until there was only their breathing to fill the silence. 

Lloyd sucked in desperate gulps of air, chest heaving and limbs shaking hard enough that his legs finally gave out and he sat down hard. 

His rescuer straightened up and allowed some tension to drain from their shoulders even as they continued to watch the doors, apprehensive, for another few moments as though expecting the creature to return any moment. 

Finally they seemed satisfied that it wasn’t coming back, but still hesitated a moment before turning around. 

Lloyd’s heart nearly stopped.

“You okay?” Morro asked.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morro's got some explaining to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GO!

“Whoah, whoah!” Morro exclaimed, throwing his hands out in front of him placatingly as Lloyd scrambled away from him, putting as much distance between them as possible. His back hit the wall pretty quick, having already been pretty far into the room. “Calm down--” 

“Get away from me!”

“I’m not going to hurt you--” he tried to tell him, but Lloyd wasn’t having any of it. 

“Get back!” 

“Alright, alright! Look!” Morro took several steps backwards until his back was against the doors, keeping his hands up in surrender where Lloyd could see them. “See? Way back here, not gonna touch you.” 

He waited, trying to ignore the ache in his chest as Lloyd kept his eyes on him, chest heaving and back pressed against the wall. He’d really done a number on the kid for him to be reacting that badly. He wondered just how much he’d hurt him before his subconscious was forced down. 

Morro didn’t move, keeping his hands up in a loose surrender and watching him, keeping his face blank as he waited for him to sort through his thoughts. 

Lloyd’s eyes were a little glazed over from panic and his eyes kept darting around the room, taking in his surroundings but never straying from him for long, but eventually he started to calm down. 

When he finally got his breathing under control and some of the panic had faded from his eyes, he focused more fully on Morro with a wary look. 

“What do you want?” he finally asked, distrust written across every inch of his face. He was still pressed up against the wall, body tense as if waiting for an attack.

He wanted a lot of things, none of which he deserved, but that wasn’t what Lloyd was asking. He wanted to know what he wanted from _him_ and Morro had to suppress a hysterical laugh. Like he could possibly want anything from him when he’d already taken so much. 

“Nothing,” he answered truthfully. 

“You’re lying,” Lloyd said, mouth pressing into a thin line. 

“I’m not.” 

“Why did you help me?” he demanded with more force, though his body was shaking slightly and Morro doubted he could do much to back up his threatening tone. 

And that was the question wasn’t it? At least for him. As far as Lloyd knew, Morro was nothing but a vengeful ghost who enjoyed making him suffer. _Because I know what I’ve done to you. Because you’re important to Ninjago and they can’t lose you. Because I feel so guilty for everything I’ve put you through and want to make up for it, even though I know there’s no possible way that I can._

“Cause your soul was about to get erased and you don’t deserve that,” Morro told him. A truth; just not one of the many he wanted to say. He doubted Lloyd was ready to hear the rest of it. 

Lloyd stared at him. 

“I’m not gonna hurt you, Lloyd,” Morro said softly. 

“Experience says otherwise,” Lloyd returned, looking so, _so_ tired. 

Morro felt his face screw up in a grimace as the comment hit home and closed his eyes, shame making his head hang.

“Yeah,” he acknowledged quietly, his hands lowering to his sides. “I guess it does.” He didn’t look back up at him, feeling like he hardly had the right to lay his eyes on the green ninja after everything he’d done. He’d put him through so much that he didn’t deserve. He had every right to be suspicious and distrustful. He was honestly surprised that he hadn’t attacked him yet, though that might’ve been due to the fact that he’d been drained by the Preeminent a mere moment ago. He doubted Lloyd could have thrown a punch if he’d tried. 

There was silence for a moment and Morro wasn’t sure what to do to fill it, or even if he should. 

Lloyd’s brows creased and he pulled his legs to his chest, pressing himself against the wall and his gaze flicked away from the person across from him. 

“You’re not…” Lloyd faltered. 

Morro looked up at him.

He was curled up against the wall, knees pulled to his chest, making him seem a lot smaller; more his age. He swallowed, as though trying to steady himself. 

“You’re telling the truth?” 

It was a question, full of hesitation but… he was asking it. Morro couldn’t help feeling disbelief at the fact that he was even entertaining the thought at all. 

He tried to offer him a smile that felt very wrong on his face and probably came out as more of a pained grimace than anything. 

“Yeah.” The sorry excuse for a smile faded quickly and he pressed his lips together to keep himself from saying more. It was amazing Lloyd had listened this far, he didn’t want to blurt out something and overdo it. Not that he thought Lloyd was actually going to believe him anyway. He had all the evidence to the contrary telling him that Morro could not be trusted. He literally had personal experience with him possessing and mentally and emotionally manipulating him. 

He couldn’t quite drop his eyes again though, feeling a little pinned in place by Lloyd’s green one’s. They stared at each other for a moment more, Lloyd still looking hesitant and Morro feeling resigned, his shoulder slumped. 

Lloyd let out a controlled exhale, as if forcing himself to relax, his body releasing some of the tension it had previously held. “Okay,” he said, and let his gaze drop, resting his forehead on his knee. “Okay.”

Morro stared at him. 

Just… 

Just like that? 

Disbelief took his voice away for a moment. After everything-- he just? Believed him? Just like that? 

He wasn’t sure what to feel or how to react. Should he be relieved? Thank him over and over again for believing him? Ask him why, in the name of the first spinjitzu master, he was trusting somebody that had been hurting him for weeks? Drop down on his knees and beg for forgiveness he hardly deserved? 

Lloyd’s breathing was still strained and Morro was distracted from his thoughts for a moment, when he noticed the wound on his leg. 

The wrappings around his ankle were completely burned away and the skin that showed was blackened and starting to become transparent. Not a good sign, but at least it was only his foot. He hadn’t thought the Premenint had managed to grab him long enough to hurt him that badly and cursed himself for not observing Lloyd’s injury sooner. It was a physical manifestation of what was happening to his mind and he needed to patch it up before it started eating his consciousness alive.

He gave himself a moment to breath and recollect himself, pushing his emotions to the backburner where he could deal with them later. 

“You’re hurt,” he said, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible and making the green ninja look up at him again. 

  
Lloyd looked at him in bleary confusion and Morro gestured to his feet. 

He followed the motion and looked down, a wince coming onto his face when his eyes landed on his ankle. It did look pretty bad. 

Lloyd let out a resigned tired sound, his shoulder sagging and his head falling forward to rest on his knee again. 

“I can help,” Morro said, then hesitated when Lloyd looked up again. “If you’re okay with it.” He didn’t want to force him to accept his help and break his trust that he’d been miraculously given not two minutes after receiving it. He had to tread lightly. 

Lloyd stared at him for a moment then looked back at his discoloured ankle. 

“Okay,” he said quietly, after a moment. 

Morro breathed and then stepped forward, slow and careful. Making sure Lloyd had plenty of time to see what he was doing, and read his motions. He still tensed when he approached, but Morro could hardly have expected anything else. Even if Lloyd had made the conscious decision to trust him, his subconscious was still going to react. 

He did his best to keep his expression blank and non-threatening as he knelt in front of him, sitting back on his heels before reaching into his gi and finding some of the bandages he’d created a good long while ago from his last escape attempt. It was always good to have more prepared as they took a lot of time and energy to create, though he hadn’t had to use any in a while since he’d stopped his outings. He was glad he still had some left, since he wasn’t sure he’d be able to muster the focus required to make them at that particular moment. 

He carefully reached forward, keeping his movement slow and unhurried. Lloyd flinched a little when the gauze made contact with this injury but other than that made no movement or sound aside from his breathing as he wrapped his ankle. He relaxed after a moment, shoulder slumping a little again as some of the pain was relieved. Morro knew how the burns could hurt, and how much the gauze helped. He was glad he was able to help, if only a little. 

He worked wordlessly and unfaltering until the area was fully covered, all the while mulling it over in his head as to how exactly he should continue. He hadn’t exactly been expecting for the green ninja to end up trapped with him, and unsaid words lodged in the back of his throat. But he settled on an apology in its simplest form, it being all he could really muster at the moment. 

“I’m sorry,” he said into the silence, after finishing tying off the gauze. 

Lloyd looked at him. 

He sat back on his heels, hands resting on his thighs, palms up and unthreatening, keeping the tension from his shoulders, despite how much he wanted to hunch over. No reason to startle or put him on edge anymore than he already was. 

“What I did to you--what I’m _doing_ to you is… unforgivable.” His brows creased and he allowed himself to be angry, bitter for a moment, hating what he’d allowed himself to become, but it was short lived, those emotions having drained too much of him already. He allowed his shoulders to slump and exhaled slowly. “It doesn’t change anything, but,” he looked back up at him, regret and guilt and everything in between aching in his chest. “I’m sorry.” 

Lloyd stared. 

Morro waited, wondering if maybe he should move away from him, when Lloyd’s brows furrowed, a small flicker of realization sparking in his eyes. 

“You’re trapped here like me,” he said suddenly, sounding certain. 

Morro stared at him for a moment, before realizing he probably shouldn’t have been surprised at him figuring it out so quickly. He was the green ninja for more than one reason. 

He huffed, looking away and smiling softly to himself. “Smart kid.” 

He could feel Lloyd’s eyes on him. 

Morro glanced at him out of the corner of his eye then sighed upon seeing his expectant expression that told him he was waiting for more of an explanation. “I’m…” his face twitched as he considered his words, unsure from never having had to explain it before. He hardly knew much himself. 

He turned his head to look at him fully. “You know that shadow tentacle thing?” 

Lloyd nodded. 

“Right,” Morro said, gaining confidence as he spoke, “well, that’s a piece of the Preeminent. She’s the ruler of the cursed realm. That’s where I ended up when I died.” He sighed, exchanging his kneeling position for a cross legged one before continuing. 

“I was…” his brow furrowed and he twined his fingers together as he thought of his last two years alive. “I was angry. When I died. So she was able to pick up my soul before I could move on and trapped me in the cursed realm.” He gave a self deprecating smile. “My own fault really, but being in her realm means I’m subject to her command whether I like it or not.”   


Lloyd blinked, brow furrowing. “You’re being possessed?” 

Morro’s face scrunched up at his question and he tried to figure out the best way to say it. Possessed wasn’t quite the right word. 

“Not… not quite. It’s more like…” he rubbed his face, mouth twisting into a grimace. “Split personalities. All the good in me is trapped down here, while all the bad parts are…” he faltered and unable to stop himself from hunching forward a little. “...up there and running things, dialed up to eleven. I can’t really control anything I do anymore.” He laughed a little self-deprecatingly. “If I ever really could in the first place anyway.” 

“Then why did you apologize?” 

Morro looked at him in confusion. “Huh?” 

“None of this is your fault,” Lloyd told him, as though he fully believed it and didn’t understand why Morro didn’t as well, “you didn’t need to apologize.” 

Morro gaped at him in disbelief. “I’m literally possessing you right now--!”

“No,” Lloyd interrupted him, giving him an annoyed look that made him snap his mouth shut, “you’re not. The worst parts of you that are under the control of an evil being are. You’re not to blame Morro and there’s nothing to forgive.” 

He stared at him, any response dying before he could even think to form it. 

The laugh that bubbled up out of his chest was more hysterical than anything. 

“You’re crazy,” he told the green ninja, unbelieving that he’d just… accept his story, and even go so far as to say he didn't’ blame him for anything that had happened. His eyes darted across his young face, trying to find any sort of deception, but Lloyd’s face was only tired and honest with one eyebrow raised as if daring him to argue again. 

He swallowed unsteadily and closed his mouth again. “You’re crazy, green ninja.” 

Lloyd shrugged. “I wouldn’t be here if everyone blamed me for everything my dad did.” He looked at him with a hesitant smile. “It’d be kind of a jerk move for me not to extend you the same courtesy that I had.” 

“That’s a massively different situation,” he felt the need to point out. 

“Same concept though,” Lloyd told him, like it really didn’t matter. 

“You have a death wish.” 

“Says the ghost.” 

Morro surprised himself with a laugh and just ended up staring at Lloyd for a long moment, not knowing what to make of the young ninja. None of this had ended up like he’d thought it would have. He pulled him through the doors, fully expecting him to attack or scream at him or hate him completely... but here he was, relaxing against the wall with an exhale and closing his eyes, putting himself completely at his mercy despite everything that had happened. 

“You’re really something else, Lloyd,” Morro murmured, not quite able to look away. 

“Thanks,” Lloyd said with a small half-smile. His brow furrowed slightly. “I think.” 

Morro huffed, a strangely light feeling starting to expand in his chest; the guilt that had made its home in his core for so long retreated a little. 

“Where are we exactly, anyway?” Lloyd asked, after a moment of silence, looking around the room. Some of the life was coming back into his eyes and a glance down at his ankle told Morro that the gauze was doing its job. 

He followed Lloyd’s gaze around the familiar room that had been his home for a good long while. There were boxes and various objects he’d willed into existence after a lot of practice. It took time and energy to actually create things this far back in his subconscious, but it wasn’t as though he had anywhere to be.

“Somewhere in the back of our subconscious,” he explained as best he could. “Possessing you means our minds are kinda overlapping right now so you got shoved back into the same place as I did.” He paused then added, “at least, as far as I can tell.” 

“How long have you been here?” Lloyd asked, glancing at him.

The question probably should have felt as heavy as it did and Morro did his best to keep his face blank, hiding some of the exhaustion and hopelessness he felt as he shrugged. “I don’t know.” 

“Is there a way out?” 

Morro hesitated a few seconds too long and Lloyd seemed to know the answer, eyes dropping to the ground and creases forming between his brows. 

“I’m sorry, kid,” Morro said quietly. 

“No,” Lloyd said, shaking his head, hard determination settling in his eyes on his face, “there’s gotta be some way out.” 

Morro hid his grimace as the ninja pushed himself to his feet. He saw the moment his leg faltered under him and shot up to catch him before he could fall forward. 

Lloyd tried to hide his flinch, but Morro didn’t miss it and released him and stepped away as soon as he was steady. 

“You think I haven’t tried?” he asked, choosing not to mention the flinch. “I’ve been here for a long time, if there was a way, I would have found it by now.” 

He’d looked. Gods had he looked. Every day, for what felt like years. 

“It might be different for me,” Lloyd told him. 

Morro looked at him, feeling more than a little sceptical. Apparently his expression mirrored his feelings because Lloyd continued. 

“No, really. You’re a ghost from the Cursed Realm. The ruler has power over you so she can keep you trapped here, but _I’m alive_ and the only thing I am right now is possessed so there’s bound to be a loophole somewhere for me.” 

Morro hesitated, brows creasing. “You… have a point.” There were so many variables though. So many dangers that he couldn’t protect him from. “But if you get killed down here, that’s it.” He looked at Lloyd, willing him to understand the severity of the situation. “If the Preeminent catches you and takes your life force you’re as good as dead. Are you sure you want to risk it?” 

“My friends are in danger and so is the rest of Ninjago,” Lloyd said. “I’ve got to do everything I can to help them. I’m not going to let them get hurt.” 

His determination and hope were something Morro hadn’t seen or felt in a long time and not for the first time he could see why Lloyd was the green ninja. 

He could also see there was no convincing him otherwise, the young ninja determined to find a way out and maybe… maybe he was right. With his power coupled with the fact he was alive… they might be able to slip him through the Preminant’s hold and free him from her grip long enough for him to regain control of his body. 

It was a small hope, but it was there. 

“Alright,” Morro finally said. “We’ll see if we can figure something out, but you need to recover first. The Preeminent sucks the life right out of you when she touches you. You’re going to need to rest for a while before we even think about doing anything.” 

“Alright,” Lloyd said back, slowly sitting down cross legged, doing his best not to jostle his injuries. 

Morro waited until he was sure he wasn’t going to fall over again, and he was safely sitting cross legged on the ground with his eyes slipping shut, before he turned away from him to face the doors and stand guard while the green ninja meditated. He’d reinforced the doors a thousand times over already, but it was best to be prepared. 

He glanced back at the green ninja. He was young and alive and had so much good in him; whatever happened, they were going to get him out of here. 

He couldn't see the preeminent letting him live after he helped him escape. 

Morro looked back to the doors.

It wasn’t as though he was doing any good as a ghost anyways. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight! So how's that for a half-baked explanation? KSLFMOIA;WEF


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape planning time.

It was impossible to tell how much time was passing; Morro had given up trying to keep track long ago. 

Lloyd meditated for a long time, long enough that Morro felt at ease enough with the Preeminent absence that he made a few more rolls of gauze, ignoring the exhaustion that came after doing so when Lloyd finally blinked out of his meditation. 

Morro offered him a tired smile. “How you feeling?” 

Lloyd inhaled slowly, stretching a bit before answering with a hesitant smile. “A lot better, thanks.” He glanced down at his ankle where the gauze was nearly completely dissolved and his ankle was looking a little more solid. 

“How does this stuff even work?” he asked curiously, poking at what was left of the material. “Did you make it? 

“Yeah,” Morro confirmed with a nod. “It’s kinda like… concentrated soul essence? Will power? I put a little bit of my energy and mental power in it so it can help revive me when I sustain any damage down here. Kinda like saving up mental power for later.” 

“Huh,” Lloyd said, thoughtfully. “Cool.” He pulled his hand away from his ankle, resting his arms atop his legs. “I tried to make some stuff but nothing happened.” 

Morro’s lips quirked. “It takes some practice.” 

“You think you could teach me?” 

Morro shrugged, pushing himself to his feet before straightening up. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Though I don’t think you’ll be here long enough to actually get the hang of it. Hopefully we’ll have you out of here before you can actually make something.” 

He didn’t want Lloyd trapped here as long as he had been. 

“How long did it take you?” 

Morro turned away to hide his grimace. “Time’s a little weird down here, no way to really know.” 

He heard some shuffling and turned around to see Lloyd standing up and brushing non-existent dust off himself. He looked up at Morro with a more confident smile. He still had some tiredness in his eyes, but he looked a lot better to his relief. 

“So, any ideas on how to get us out of here?” 

Morro felt his shoulders tighten. Not ‘ _get_ me _out of here,’_ it was ‘ _get_ us _out of here.’_

He forced himself to breathe and gave him a strained smile. “Right. I guess I’ve got a few things you can try.” 

Lloyd squared his shoulders, a determined look settling on his face. “Let’s get started.” 

  
  
  


_________________

  
  
  


The things they tried were what Morro had already attempted himself many times over to no avail. Still, Lloyd did have a point when he suggested that things might work differently for him. 

Unlike Morro, Lloyd was not trapped under the Preeminant’s control. She had no real claim upon him beside Morro’s possession, which meant all they really had to do was get Lloyd back into the front of his subconscious so he could break out of the possession. 

“My friends are coming after me,” Lloyd told him, his belief in them unshakable. “They’ll be helping on the other side of all this. Maybe they’ll get us an opening.” 

That would definitely help, Morro dared to think. He’d never had any assistance, so he couldn’t be sure, but maybe… 

As time passed Lloyd started to relax a little more around him and Morro found himself relaxing as well. It had been a long time since he’d actually interacted with anyone else, so he felt a little unsure and was a bit out of practice, but Lloyd didn’t make it difficult. He was just so open and sincere, easy to trust. 

Morro could see why he made a great leader; why his team--his friends--were willing to do anything for him. 

They tried the mental exercise that they’d both learned from Wu to see if they could penetrate the subconscious prison. Nothing happened for Morro, as always, but Lloyd seemed to glow faintly. 

  
  


_________________

  
  
  
  


Lloyd flopped against him, surprising him, and making him freeze at the familiarity. 

“Alright, I vote break time,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “We’ve been at this for hours.” 

“No way to really tell,” Morro pointed out, trying to make his shoulders relax, wondering how Lloyd was comfortable being so close to someone who’d hurt him. 

“I’m geusstimating,” Lloyd huffed, tilting his chin up defiantly. 

“Guesstimating?” Morro asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting his train of thought. 

“Guessing and estimating smushed together,” Lloyd explained. “Guesstimating.” 

“Has language changed since I died?” Morro wondered aloud. 

Lloyd laughed. “Old man.” 

Morro huffed. “I’m nineteen.” If you didn’t count the time since he’d died. 

“ _Oooold_ ,” Lloyd grinned, leaning against him heavily, making him tilt to the side. 

Morro went to shove him off, but thought better of it and caught himself, instead pushing him away slowly and carefully. 

Lloyd just laughed, carefree and filled with genuine amusement, letting himself be pushed away even though Morro was barely touching him. 

He got the strange feeling that Lloyd was being just as careful as he was.

  
  
  


_________________

  
  
  
  


They got close. Morro couldn’t believe it, but they got so close. 

Lloyd’s eyes were closed as he searched for a tether to pull himself up, it was something that Morro had tried many times already, but it had never worked since he didn’t have much for tethers. 

Embers of soft glowing gold light started to float off of him and Morro watched wide eyed as he’d started to rise from the floor, legs remaining crossed and eyes closed, a slight furrow between his brows. He didn’t even seem to realize he’d moved. 

He got four feet off the ground when something slammed into the doors, shaking the room and making him lose concentration. 

Morro was on his feet and facing the doors, body tensed and ready to fight before Lloyd had even opened his eyes. 

Lloyd yelped as he abruptly fell to the floor, the light fading immediately as the Preeminent shrieked outside, throwing herself against the doors again and again. 

Morro rushed forward and pressed himself against them, reinforcing them with his mental power, pushing back against her. 

His feet kept sliding back and he felt Lloyd approach and snapped his head to look at him. “No! You stay back!” he yelled, and the younger boy flinched away from him violently. Morro forced himself to turn away and focus on keeping the doors together. He didn’t know why it hurt. He should still be expecting it. It made sense for Lloyd to still be afraid of him. 

It took a long time, but eventually the Preeminent seemed to decide they’d had enough and slunk away. 

Morro stayed, hands pressed against the doors firmly, leaning against it and breathing for a few moments, feeling exhausted. 

“Morro?” Lloyd said his name hesitantly. 

He inhaled deeply and forced himself off the doors, staggering slightly when the support was gone. 

Lloyd looked like he wanted to reach forward and steady him but stopped the motion halfway and let his arms fall limply to his sides. 

Morro swallowed. “I’m fine. Just… gonna need a minute.” 

Lloyd nodded, looking concerned and a little helpless.

“Think you could try that one again?” Morro asked. “That reaction says it was working.” 

Lloyd hesitated. “Yeah.” 

“Good, just…” he sighed, rubbing a tired hand across his face. “I’m gonna need a minute first. She’ll come back if you do it again, and I gotta be ready to keep her from getting to you.” 

“Kay,” Lloyd said, biting his lip like he wanted to say more, but he held himself back, which Morro appreciated. He needed a minute to recollect himself. 

Morro let himself down on his knees carefully and then straightened his back, inhaling deeply then exhaling to calm his pounding heart. He looked at Lloyd. 

“You should probably take a break too,” he said, making an effort to have it be a suggestion and not an order.

“Yeah,” Lloyd said. He hesitated for a moment before giving a firm nod and mirroring his position on the ground. 

Morro let his eyes fall closed before falling into his meditation. 

  
  


________________

  
  
  
  
  
  


Morro nearly had a heart attack when Lloyd just disappeared. 

One moment they were sitting discussing the next escape attempt and the next he was just… gone. 

Morro was on his feet in an instant and glancing around wildly for any sign of the ninja, finding nothing at all. 

He panicked for a minute, wondering if something had happened to him, if his disappearance was a good or bad thing. He would know if he’d died physically, he may not have been able to know a lot of what was going on outside his subconscious but he could feel some things and he knew that he wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be dead. He could have gotten out. But that didn’t make any sense, not when they’d started to see what getting out actually looked like. He’d just vanished. 

He paced, uncertainty making him restless. 

Then just as suddenly as he’d disappeared Lloyd reappeared, stumbling and falling to his knees, breathing heavily and looking pale, his subconscious form flickering dangerously before solidifying. 

Morro rushed forward, “Lloyd!” and barely managed to keep himself from touching him to make sure he wasn’t hurt. He curled his hands into fists and forced them to his side. “What happened? Are you alright?” 

Lloyd sucked in a few breaths before he could reply. “He--” he gasped. “Got pulled up,” he panted. “Wanted to--to use me to taunt my friends.” 

Morro felt sick. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, clenching his fists and hating himself. 

“It’s not you doing it,” Lloyd snapped vehemently, a fiery anger burning in his eyes. “Stop blaming yourself.” 

Morro didn’t bother arguing with him. 

  
  
  
  


__________________

  
  
  


Not-Morro, as Lloyd had taken to calling him, pulled Lloyd out a few more times as time passed. He’d come back shaky and pale every time, needing to rest much longer than usual to build up strength again, but with more fire in his eyes and determination than ever. 

He was so strong and Morro had nearly forgotten what it was like. 

They planned, and tried things. 

Lloyd continued to get close but never quite managed to break through whatever it was keeping them there. 

But they didn’t stop trying. 

  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  
  


“I’ll come back for you.” Lloyd promised, like he really meant it--like Morro would still be around for him to save. 

Morro looked at him for a long time. 

Lloyd looked right back, sincerity and determination written across his face. 

After a few moments he managed a smile. 

“Let’s just focus on getting you out of here first.” 

  
  
  


____________________

  
  
  


Morro was staring at the doors when it occurred to him. 

“It’s the room.” 

Lloyd looked up, a questioning expression on his face. “What?” 

Morro spun around to look at him, a breathless feeling in his chest. “The reason it’s not working, it’s cause we’re in here,” he told him, a smile starting to grow on his face. “I’ve reinforced this place to keep the Preeminent out and it’s also keeping us _in_ ! _That’s_ why you can’t get out!” 

Lloyd’s jaw dropped, his eyes widening. “Do you--do you really think that’s it?” 

Morro nodded. “Absolutely. You’re already so close. If you do it outside, you’ll be able to get out of here.” 

“What are we waiting for?” Lloyd exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. “Let’s try it!” 

“No!” Morro threw his arms out to stop him from bolting towards the door, almost completely ignoring the numb feeling when Lloyd flinched at the abrupt motion. “We can’t, not yet. We have to think this through. If the Preeminent shows up again while you’re trying she could kill us both.” 

Lloyd’s face fell. “Then how…?” 

Morro tapped his fingers on his thigh, his brow furrowing as he thought about it. 

“I’ll need to distract her,” he finally realized aloud. Then he nodded, more firmly. “I’ll distract her so that you have time to focus and get out of here.” 

“She could kill you!” Lloyd exclaimed, looking outraged. “We’re not doing that.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Morro said, waving his concern aside even as he knew that it was a lie. “She still needs me--or at least the other half of me, I guess--so she won’t kill me yet.” 

Yet. He hadn’t meant to add that on the end of it. Hopefully Lloyd hadn’t noticed. 

The green ninja still looked unsure, but Morro knew how much he wanted to get back to his friends and eventually he straightened up and nodded. “Alright. Let’s try this.” 

“Meditation first,” Morro said. “You’ll need a lot of energy for this.” 

“You too,” Lloyd said deterimindly, daring him to argue. 

He didn’t. 

  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  


They tried.

They failed. 

It had been going well at first, Lloyd meditating far enough away from the doors so that they didn’t affect him and Morro charging at the Preeminent to distract her, but she was so much more powerful than he was, and that was when he was a full person, not ripped apart and split in half until he hardly recognized himself anymore. 

He fought hard. Faltered for only a moment--a split second--but that was all she needed and she caught him, her tentacles burning into his skin, before throwing him away, completely ignoring him and thundering towards Lloyd. 

Morro managed to catch himself and threw himself at her, tackling the massive manifestation of the Preeminant’s power, using everything he had to pull her off course. 

His skin _burned_ wherever it touched her and he clenched his teeth and kept his mouth shut, refusing to scream and distract Lloyd. 

But it wasn’t enough. 

He wasn’t enough. 

She reached Lloyd and he screamed a warning too late. 

Lloyd’s cry of pain as her shadowy tentacle wrapped around him struck him to his very core and he screamed back. 

He could feel his own body fading but he jumped and used his mind to cut through the tentacle that held Lloyd. 

He _burned_ , everything was burning. 

He pulled Lloyd off the ground and threw him through the doors before tumbling through himself, barely managing to shut them before the Preeminent was there, wailing against them. 

He pushed himself to his knees, shaking but could do nothing to support the doors.

Somehow-- _somehow thank the gods_ \--they held. 

Everything hurt, every part of him was screaming at him, he felt like screaming. Lloyd had trusted him to keep him safe, to keep her away and he’d failed him. 

He crawled towards where Lloyd was huddled and pulled him into his arms, curling around him and shielding him from the shuddering door as he trembled. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over again, even though he couldn’t hear him over the Preeminent’s shrieks. 

  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  


He wrapped the bandages around him in silence. 

How could he have possibly thought that it would work? 

Lloyd caught his hands, making him look up at him in confusion and pulled the remaining gauze out of his hands, then guided his wrist forward, before starting to bind it in the material around it, with a stubborn concentration. 

Morro didn’t know why he cared; how he could possibly care at all. 

A worried grimace came onto Lloyd’s face as he surveyed the damage across Morro’s body. 

Morro didn’t bother to look at himself, he knew it was bad. It didn’t matter anyways. 

Lloyd looked up at him, and he must have seen something on his face because he was pulling him into a hug. 

Morro’s face was smushed into his shoulder and he tensed for a moment, but… gods. His eyes burned and he buried his face in Lloyd’s shoulder, hands coming up to grip at the fabric of his gi. 

“I’m so sorry,” he choked, his voice muffled and his body shaking. 

Lloyd held him tighter. 

“We’ll be okay,” Lloyd told him. 

And Morro really wished he could believe that. 

  
  
  


__________________

  
  
  
  
  


It took them a long time to recover. 

Morro didn’t have any more bandages, despite them both in desperate need of it, and Lloyd was being stubborn and sharing the pieces he’d give him with Morro instead of using them himself. 

  
Stupid selfless idiot. 

If time was blurred before it was even worse now. Morro didn’t even remember falling into meditation until he snapped out of it. It happened so often he was sure his mind was actually dying. Then there would be nothing left inside his ghost except for the worst parts of him. 

The thought scared him and he tried to stay awake. 

  
  
  
  
  


_________________

  
  
  
  
  


The wind came suddenly.

It was loud and roaring and immediately filled the small space they resided in. Morro nearly cried, having forgotten what the breeze felt like in his hair and on his skin before he realized how unnerving it was that there was suddenly air after so long of nothing. 

“What’s happening?” Lloyd yelled over the roar. 

“I don’t know!” 

It kept increasing until it was comparable to the force of a hurricane and Lloyd was swept off his feet by it, crying out and flailing wildly, trying to find something to hold on to. 

Morro lunged forward and caught his wrist and Lloyd latched onto him, looking at him fearfully. 

In spite of the wind, Morro’s feet remained firmly planted on the ground. He looked down at them, then up at Lloyd and his gaze was drawn to the green light above them. The world around him seemed to start to split in two, doubling and blurring and making him dizzy. 

They were separating. 

This wasn’t just Not-Morro pulling Lloyd up for a minute, this was a real separation. He was pulling away from the possession. 

“You need to let go!” Morro told him over the roar of the wind. 

“What?!” Lloyd screamed, looking at him like he was crazy. 

“He’s letting you go!” Morro screamed back. “Our consciousnesses are splitting, you have to let go!” 

“I’m not leaving without you!” Lloyd yelled at him, his grip tightening. 

Morro looked at him, wind whipping around them with increasing ferocity, the world splitting even more. 

Lloyd looked desperately back, and Morro could see he wasn’t lying in the slightest. He would stay trapped down here until they figured a way out for him. A time for which they would be waiting an eternity for, if it ever happened at all. 

He smiled crookedly. “See you around, green ninja,” he said, then let go, ripping his hands away and out of his grip. 

“Morro, no!” Lloyd’s cry was drowned out by the wind as it pulled him up higher and higher into the green. 

There was a flashing light and the world became abruptly still again, the wind and light completely gone as though they had never been there in the first place. 

The only sign that anyone else had ever been there was the bandages left on the floor.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:)
> 
> (sorry, slept in this morning and didn't have time to post so a little late but hOPE YOU ENJOYED ANWAYS LKDMFWEF <33)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four, in which Lloyd sounds absolutely crazy.

It was really hard to understand where he was for a minute. 

He fell in and out of consciousness. There was something about Morro and the realm crystal, he ended up in a river or something, Kai had him, he was safe-- 

When he really woke up, it was with a gasp, shooting into a sitting position. 

“Whoah, whoah! Lloyd, it’s okay, you’re safe.” 

“Morro,” was all he was able to gasp out. 

“He can’t hurt you anymore, Lloyd, it’s okay, we’ve got you.” 

“No, no,” he tried to tell them. “I have to help--” he coughed, an unexpected ache in his chest. He felt really really cold and…  _ alive. _ He could feel again. He’d had a taste of having his body back a few times, so it wasn’t as big of a shock, but it still felt so weird to  _ feel _ again. His mouth felt like sandpaper and tasted like gummy bears, weirdly enough. 

“Lloyd, calm down, it’s okay, man,” Kai tried to tell him. 

Lloyd was grateful for the reassurance, but he didn’t have time for it. He pushed Kai away, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and trying to stand up. “Where’s Sensei Wu? I need to talk to Wu--” 

“Lloyd,” Zane’s voice came and a firm hand placed itself on his shoulder to keep him from standing. “It is not advisable for you to be straining yourself. You need rest.” 

“I need to talk to Master Wu,” Lloyd repeated, ignoring his instruction. 

“Calm down,” Cole said. “What’s the rush?” 

“I need to talk to Wu,” Lloyd said again, trying to swat Zane’s hands away. 

“Okay,” Kai said, soothingly. “We got that. You wanna tell us why?” 

“We have to help Morro.” 

They all stared at him and Lloyd was finally able to push Zane’s hand away. 

“I’m sorry,” Cole said. “ _ What? _ ” 

“Did they do something to you?” Kai demanded, stepping forward and grabbing his face to look at his eyes, angry and concerned. “Are you under some sort of mind control?” 

“Kai, let go,” Lloyd said. “I’m fine, but I need to talk to Wu. Morro’s trapped and we have to help him.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kai said, blinking several times and looking as though he was trying very hard to keep himself calm. “Come again?” 

Lloyd grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. “Please, Kai,” he said looking him in the eye. “I need to talk to Wu.” 

Kai stared at him. 

When he didn’t respond Lloyd growled in frustration and pushed him off before lunging for the stairs. 

“Lloyd!” they exclaimed behind him. 

Their surprise gave him a head start, and he stumbled up the stairs. His legs felt a lot like jello, but he pushed forward. 

“Lloyd?” Nya exclaimed as he appeared on deck. 

He ignored her, rushing past her and his mom when he spotted Wu. 

“Uncle Wu!” he exclaimed. 

The man turned to him just in time to catch him as he tripped, falling into his uncle. It felt natural to hug him. 

Wu was still with surprise for a moment before he hugged back just as tightly. “I am glad you are alright,” his uncle said softly. The other’s came up on deck. 

Lloyd pulled away, planting his hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. “Morro’s in trouble, we need to help him,” he told him before anyone could try and pull him away.

Wu blinked. 

“Seriously dude,” Cole said coming up behind them. “Did they mess with your head? You do realize that Morro is the guy who’s been possessing you this whole time, right?” 

Lloyd was already shaking his head. “No, no, you don’t understand, that’s not him.” 

Wu caught his wrists, making him look at him. 

“Then help us understand,” he told him. “What do you mean that he’s in trouble?” 

“He’s trapped,” Lloyd told him, then realized that he hadn’t cleared anything up and growled in frustration. “It’s not him doing all this stuff,” he stressed. 

“You’re not making any sense!” Kai exclaimed, stepping forward. 

“Kai,” Wu said sharply, giving him a warning look and the fire ninja fell silent. Wu looked back at Lloyd. “Start from the beginning.” 

And so he did. 

The team was mostly silent through his explanation. He tried to keep it as short as possible, wanting to get as much out as quickly he could so they could move on to stopping the Preeminent and saving Morro. 

“How do you know he’s not tricking you?” Kai demanded immediately, once he’d finished. 

“Why would he?” Lloyd demanded right back, turning to look at him. 

“Because you’re you!” Kai exclaimed gesturing at him. “You’re the green ninja! Because he knows if he convinces you he’s good, you’ll do whatever you can to keep him from dying with the rest of the ghosts and he wants to use you to live!” 

“I agree with Kai,” Cole chimed in stepping forward with a frown. “We can’t trust the guy!” 

Lloyd glared at him. “I just spend weeks with Morro, he’s not the same as the one you know.” 

“How can you know that?!” 

“Please, students, calm down,” 

“We can’t trust him.” 

“Well I do.” Lloyd said, leveling them all in a glare. “And I’m going to save him, whether you help me or not, because none of this is his fault, and even if it was, he deserves a second chance.” 

“He  _ hurt  _ you--” 

“I don’t care.” 

Kai groaned. “Ughh, Lloyd, why do you have to be so self righteous and stupidly good all the time. There are some people who just aren’t worth your time!” 

“I know. But Morro isn’t one of them.” 

“This is crazy,” Jay said, looking around at the rest of them. “This is crazy, right?” 

“I’m not leaving him down there,” Lloyd yelled at them. “He doesn’t deserve that!” 

“Even if all this is true, it’s his own fault he’s in this situation anyways!” Kia yelled right back. 

“How was he supposed to know he was gonna die!?” 

“THAT’S ENOUGH,” Wu’s staff slammed onto the ground, punctuating his words and effectively halting the argument. 

Kai’s mouth shut with an audible click. 

Lloyd turned to look at his uncle. 

He was thinking, he could tell. It was a lot of information, but he of all people would believe him, right? 

Wu’s eyes flicked to Lloyd for a moment before sighed and clasped his hands behind his back, with his staff still in his grip. 

“If this is true, there is nothing we can do to help him.” 

Lloyd opened his mouth to argue but Wu cut him off with a look and he shut it again. 

“ _ Yet _ ,” Wu finished. “If he’s under the Preeminant’s control there’s nothing we can do to break that hold. The best course of action for now is to continue on in stopping Morro--” he stopped, then shook his head and continued. “We must focus on defeating the ghosts and keeping the Preeminent from overtaking this realm or destroying it as it sees fit.” 

“She,” Lloyd corrected. “The Preeminent a she.” 

Wu looked at him for a moment, but then nodded. “The best thing we can do for him is defeat her so that he has a fighting chance.” 

Lloyd swallowed, but could see the wisdom in his uncle’s words. 

“I still don’t like this,” Kai grumbled. “It could all be a trick.” 

“I trust Lloyd’s judgement,” Wu said with finality. 

“Thank you, Master Wu,” Lloyd breathed. 

“We will see what we can do to help Morro, but until then, you should all get some rest.” 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was something, so Lloyd nodded. “Alright.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one today. HAVE AN AGGRESSIVELY AMAZING DAY Y'ALL <333


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeskip, Wu sees his student again, then nonsense and confusion abounds. You're welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said this was completely self-indulgent? Right, well, that self-indulgement includes one massive time skip (it goes pretty much the same as in canon from what I remember anyways so I don't need to write it out XD) and complete, unexplained nonsense used as an excuse so I can write whatever I want.
> 
> Canon doesn’t make sense, so neither will I. LKSDMFAOEWMK

Suspended over the water atop his elemental dragon, Wu gripped his students' hand with all strength to keep him from being dragged any closer to what would be his second death. 

He desperately wished to believe Lloyd when he said that his student was still inside the vengeful ghost, even as he looked into his eyes and saw nothing but hateful contempt and rage. Knowing Morro’s fate was almost worse than the years spent in numb unknowing, and ignorance; nothing he imagined could have prepared him for seeing him now, like this, with nothing but anger and hatred left, and it hurt knowing it was something he could have prevented. 

Despite his students’ justified bitter resentment towards him Wu held on with everything he had, refusing to break his trust again and let him slip into the water. 

He saw the moment when the Preeminant’s hold on Morro’s mind was broken. A flicker of shock shooting across his face and then suddenly all the anger and fear and hatred drained, morphing into shock and confusion and his grip faltered slightly. He shook his head, making a shocked, pained sound, but tightened his grip before he was looking up at him again, his eyes clearer but filled with guilt and pain. 

“I’m sorry,” Morro choked out desperately, as though he were afraid he wouldn’t get the chance to say it. “I’m so sorry, Sensei.” 

“ _Morro_ ,” was all he was able to breathe out, all other words lodging themselves in his throat. 

“You have to let me go,” Morro told him desperately, strained and pained. 

Wu shook himself out of his stupor and gripped his hand even tighter. “No.” 

“She’ll pull us both in if you don’t!” Morro yelled, his expression pleading and desperate as they got closer to the water. 

“No! I’m not letting you go, Morro, not again.” 

“Please!” Morro pleaded, “I don’t want you to die too!” 

“And I don’t want you to die _again!”_ Wu shouted back. “I stood by and let you go the first time, I’m not doing it again--” 

“ _Dad, please!_ ” 

Any words he was going to say died in his throat. 

Morro looked up at him, blinking rapidly, arm trembling in Wu’s hold. If he were not a ghost, he thought he might’ve been crying. 

His student--his _son_ \--gave him a watery smile. 

Time itself seemed to stop. 

“I’m sorry,” said Morro and he yanked his arm from his grip and slipped the realm crystal into it to keep him from grabbing him again as he was dragged into the water. 

“No!” The cry was torn from his throat and he reached for him, but the water swallowed him up and he was gone. 

Wu nearly lost his hold on his elemental dragon. 

The last of the Preeminant’s lashing tentacles vanished into the water and he held the crystal to his chest, sorrow settling inside him, deep and aching when he could breathe again. 

He watched the spot Morro had vanished for a few moments longer before turning his dragon around and heading back to the _Destiny’s Bounty_ and to his students. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


____________________

  
  
  
  
  


Lloyd came through the portal and stumbled on his landing, glancing around wildly. Wu felt another stab of regret as he realized he was mostly likely looking for Morro. 

The others surged forward with happy cheers, hugging him. 

Wu caught his eye over their heads, shaking his head slightly. 

Lloyd looked back at him for a moment, before glancing up at the sky around them, as if something was going to be there. 

Wu’s brows furrowed in confusion and he looked up as well, just in time to see another portal appear. 

It was a different colour than the portal they had used to return Lloyd to their realm. It had too many colours to count and shimmered as though coming in and out of existence. More like a tear in the fabric of time and space itself than a portal. Wu had never seen anything like it. 

The rest of the ninja noticed quickly, stepping back, away from it, looking around in confusion. 

“What’s that?” Jay asked, looking around, but no one had an answer for him. 

Wu glanced at Lloyd to see an expectant expression on his face as he looked up at the portal, as though he’d known it was coming. The sword on his back told Wu that he did, but just what had he seen coming through the portal? The fact that the sword remained sheathed told him that it wasn’t anything dangerous, so he allowed himself to stand by and simply observe. 

A figure came tumbling out of the portal, and the ninja save for Lloyd surged back away from them, drawing their weapons and preparing to fight. 

The figure landed awkwardly, like they hadn’t expected to be landing at all, scrambling backwards the moment they hit the deck, stumbling onto their feet and away from them all, completely disoriented. They tripped and sat down hard, catching themselves on their hands as they leaned back and they looked up, eyes darting around and a confused and fearful expression made its home on their face. 

Wu felt the air leave his lungs. 

“Morro!” Lloyd exclaimed, surging forward. 

  
  
  
  
  


___________________

  
  
  
  
  


It was loud and bright and overwhelming. 

Everything hurt and he didn’t understand _why._

_Shouldn’t I be dead? Am I dead? For real this time?_

He hadn’t thought you could feel anything when you died. 

“Morro!” a familiar voice exclaimed. 

The light was blocked out for a moment by Lloyd’s face and Morro felt a stab of horror. Had he killed him? (Gods he hated him. No, that wasn’t right. But he _did_. He did?) Was Lloyd dead too? He couldn’t be, not after everything-- 

“It’s okay,” Lloyd told him, grabbing his shoulders and making him focus on him. He gave him a smile. “You’re okay.” 

“Are-are we dead?” he croaked, his throat felt dry and crackly. His throat _felt_ . He could _feel_. What was happening? 

Lloyd laughed, like everything was fine. “No, we’re not dead.” 

“H-how?” 

“That’s what I’d like to know, thanks,” a hostile voice came. 

“Kai,” Lloyd said, warningly. “It’s okay, calm down.” 

Morro blinked, squinting and trying to get his eyes to adjust to the light behind and around them. Was it normal for things to be this bright? 

When his eyes finally adjusted he was greeted with the scowling face of the fire ninja and the wary glares of the other team members. 

He felt a mixture of hatred and guilt towards them along with a bunch of other thoughts and feelings tumbling through him, jealousy, regret, gratitude-- he couldn’t understand any of the emotions coursing through him. Everything was a jumbled mess, it was so hard to sort through everything and feel everything at once after so long with one or the other or nothing. 

It was kinda hard to breathe too, like he couldn’t quite remember how. 

“I’m sorry,” Kai said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “Are we just gonna not talk about how he’s suddenly here, and no longer a ghost to boot? I think this should raise some red flags here, guys.” 

“I don’t even know _what_ kind of flags this should be raising,” Jay said. “What is even happening right now?” 

“I should be dead,” Morro finally said, the words coming out feeling strange. “Why aren’t I dead?” He looked up at Lloyd desperately looking for answers but he just looked at him apologetically. 

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “I saw you coming through that portal in the Sword of Sanctuary, but I didn’t see anything else.” 

“This is so weird,” Cole said, sounding unnerved. “Ghosts can get bodies? Can I have mine back, please?” 

“I don’t know if that’s how it works, Cole,” Nya said. 

“We don’t even know what _this_ is,” Cole shot back. “And are we just going to ignore the fact that _Morro_ is on our ship right now?” 

“Oh trust me,” Kai growled, looking very much like he’d like Morro to die a third time. “I’m not ignoring it.” 

“Guys!” Lloyd said. “Calm down, he’s not here to hurt us, this isn’t the same Morro--” 

“Yeah, I’m still not real convinced that that isn’t a trick.” 

Lloyd had stood up and placed himself between Morro and the other ninja arms spread protectively and shielding him from their gaze as much as he could. It was an odd change of pace compared to what had been the norm in the mindscape with Morro usually placing himself between Lloyd and the possible danger. 

They were still talking but the conversation was really hard to follow. Had things always been this loud? 

His attention was abruptly drawn away when someone approached him from the side and he looked just as they sunk to their knees. 

Wu looked at him, hands placed on his lap, studying his face, eyes darting across the expanse as though he thought he might be hallucinating. 

Morro opened his mouth to say something but he hadn’t thought of any words and just ended up staring back at him with half gape. 

Wu’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears and Morro’s own eyes stung in an unfamiliar way. 

“ _Morro,_ ” Wu said his name with so _much_ behind it, and then pulled him into a hug. 

He buried his face in his shoulder and clung to him. “Master Wu,” he said back, his voice muffled. The emotions in his chest welled up and prevented him from saying anything else. 

_I hate you._

_I love you._

_I’m so sorry._

_Everything hurts, and I don’t know why._

His breathing was coming a bit shaky now. “I’m sorry,” he managed to choke out; through all the clashing and turmoil of emotions, he remembered that much. He was sorry. 

“None of this is your fault, Morro,” Wu told him, holding him tighter and making it a little harder to breathe, but him letting go or loosening his hug was the last thing he wanted. 

“If I hadn’t been so stupid--” 

“If I hadn’t trained you with the wrong expectations, you never would have left like that.” Wu told him. “I was young and inexperienced and did not understand how to truly train someone. You deserved better than what I gave you.” 

Morro wanted to tell him that it wasn’t true but something tight that he hadn’t noticed before loosened in his chest at his words. 

“I blamed you for so long,” he whispered. 

“I know, and you were right too.” 

“Why didn’t you come after me?” He hadn’t meant to ask it, or for his voice to sound so vulnerable and small, but it came out in just as much a whisper as his last words. 

Wu’s grip tightened again. “It was a mistake not to, I have no excuse. I can only promise my best to do better in the present.” 

Part of him wanted to scream and push him away but most of him just wanted to cling to him for a long time so that’s what he did. 

“I’m sorry,” Morro said again. 

“I forgave you a long time ago, Morro,” Wu said softly. “I do not expect you to forgive me, but I am so sorry as well.” 

Morro nodded, but he wasn’t sure why. Moving his face made him feel a dampness against Wu’s shoulder and a spike of panic shot through him. He threw himself backwards, hands coming up to touch his face as Wu looked at him, startled by the abrupt jerk. 

“What--?” he touched his face and there were streaks of wetness and scrambled to his feet. Water? Why was there water on his face?! It was getting hard to breathe, was he dying again?

“Whoah, Morro,” Lloyd’s voice cut through his panic. “Morro!” 

He snapped his head to look away from the drops of water on his fingers to the green ninja who placed a hand on his shoulder, a calming expression on his face. 

“It’s okay,” he told him earnestly. “You’re not a ghost anymore, water can’t hurt you.” 

Morro stared at him. “I’m…” he looked down at his hands and for the first time, realized that they weren’t transparent. He stared at them, lifting them up to the light to see them better and swallowing unsteadily as he moved his fingers experimentally. 

“Oh,” he said dizzily. The ground was unsteady under him. He looked at Lloyd. “Are you sure I’m not dead?” 

Lloyd laughed, a genuine smile on his face. “Yeah, I’m sure.” 

“I don’t understand,” Morro murmured, staring down at his hands. 

He felt a hand on his other shoulder and he looked up at Wu. 

“Some things are best left unexplained,” he said firmly. “I believe we should simply be grateful for this outcome, however it came about.” 

Morro let out a slightly hysterical laugh at that. “Yeah. Right, okay. Why don’t you hate me?” His voice may have gotten a bit choked and his vision blurred as he looked between the two of them. 

Lloyd’s face fell and Wu looked pained. 

“Why would we hate you?” Lloyd asked, like he genuinely couldn’t think of a reason why. 

“I possessed you!” Morro said looking at him incredulously, a shuddering breath making him pause and he wiped at the wetness on his face; tears, he realized distantly. He’d forgotten what crying was like. “I used you and manipulated your friends and tried t-to--” 

“Did you want to do any of that?” Lloyd demanded, cutting him off. 

Morro wiped more of the tears. “No--yes, I--” his voice dropped into a whisper. “Part of me did.” 

“And what was it you said?” Lloyd asked, looking at him pointedly. “The worst of you dialed up to eleven? That doesn’t really sound like it was _you_.” 

“But--” 

“Nope, we’re done here,” Lloyd said with finality, withdrawing his hand and offering him a sincere comforting smile. “Apology accepted, Morro. You don’t need to be sorry.” 

_I still am though._ He didn’t think he’d ever stop regretting everything he’d done. 

“You are regretful,” Wu said. “You wished to change and you have. And you have already been through enough. We do not wish to add more to your pain. It would be wrong of us to turn you aside simply because you were forced into a role against your will.” 

“My dad changed,” Lloyd said quietly, with a sad smile. “We’ve already been through similar circumstances, this one isn’t much of a stretch from our usual stuff, honestly.” He laughed a little at that. 

Morro laughed as well, a little shakier and not at all on purpose, the sound just erupting out of him a little hysterically. It might’ve been too strangled to be considered a laugh anyways and he didn’t think he was actually smiling. Maybe it had been more of a sob? He felt overwhelmed and his heart was pounding so hard it hurt. 

“You’re crazy, Lloyd Garmadon.” 

Lloyd’s sad smile changed into something a little more sincere. “Thanks.” 

“I still say this could be a trick,” Kai said, drawing their attention. 

Nya gave him a look, but none of the ninja actually voiced any disagreement. 

“Kai,” Lloyd said, turning to him, starting to frown. 

“No, it’s--he’s right to--It’s fine,” Morro said before he could say more, hurriedly wiping away the last of the tears from his face. His body was still screaming at him that the wetness was dangerous but nothing was happening so he forced himself to not react. “He has a right to be wary. You don’t need to trust me.” _I don’t even trust myself._

Lloyd and Wu’s trust confused him, bewildered him, made him feel lighter and caused his stomach to turn at the same time. He hated how relieved he felt knowing that they didn’t care about what he’d done and had forgiven him so easily. It felt like they _should_ hate him, and since they didn’t, he had no idea how to feel or how to react. The rest of the Ninja’s apprehension put him more at ease oddly enough. This was what he was prepared for, not that he’d been expecting to live long enough to be in this situation, but he knew how to react to distrust. He could deal with that. 

“I know I can’t really do anything to make up for everything that I’ve done to you all--”

“You don’t need to make up for anything,” Lloyd said firmly, cutting him off with a look that made Morro snap his mouth shut. “Come on,” he said, catching Morro’s wrist and starting to pull him forward. “Let’s get inside, it’s been a long day.” 

Morro couldn’t even begin to form a protest, still questioning how Lloyd even felt comfortable with any sort of physical contact with him. He didn’t want to startle him or make any of the ninja lunge, so he let him pull him along, trying to keep himself steady even as he stumbled a little, unused to the weight of a physical body. 

He felt the glares at his back as Lloyd pulled him inside. 

They helped him breathe.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logic? I don't know her. LAKSDMFAIWOEJFLM Sorry/Not sorry :P (this is a fic written completely for myself so! XD) 
> 
> You might be wondering what more there is to have happen when there are still twelve chapters left and technically we've reached the end of season five. WELL, I did say this was a recovery fic in the tags. The season may have ended, but Morro and the others still have a long way to go. 
> 
> *dances in a circle with shakers, singing* This don't make any sense! But that's is OooKAY--


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morro has trauma, and it takes him a second but Cole understands. 
> 
> Or 
> 
> Nightmares, trauma, Morro forgets physical bodies require actual care, Cole's a ghost but it's fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, Lloyd kinda has a panic attack at the beginning, though we don't see it, and Morro has one too later on, so, yeah. They aren't super descriptive, but still. TW: Panic attacks. Which happen almost every chapter from here on out until we get closer to the end so just... be safe, aight? <3

Things were tense. 

It had been a while since Morro had actually interacted with people outside of revenge, but he could still read a room well enough to know that the ninja were wary of him. 

Lloyd and Wu were the only ones really willing to interact with him much, but he’d kind of been avoiding Wu, so it was just Lloyd really. The others either watching him suspiciously from across the room or avoiding him entirely, which suited him just fine. He was still trying to figure out which emotions were his and which were lingering ones from his time under the Preeminent’s control, and the last thing he wanted to do was snap at one of them while he was sorting through everything. Out of all the ninja, Nya was the only one who didn’t immediately scowl when he entered a room. She was courteous to him when they crossed paths, but didn’t go out of her way to talk to him like Lloyd did. 

Lloyd was… He was an enigma that Morro couldn’t even begin to hope to understand. Despite everything he’d been through, he stuck with Morro through most of the first two days. First, it was just so he could show him around and get him a room that he could stay in, but even after those things had been taken care of he still lingered nearby, almost determinedly like he was trying to prove something, going out of his way to sit close to him if they were ever in the lounge at the same time, or standing close enough to brush shoulders for no apparent reason, much to Kai’s charagin. His glares were what Morro felt he deserved, not Lloyd’s kindness. 

Wu… he didn’t know how to act around Wu. He was so tired of feeling bitter towards him, but there was still something between them that was keeping him from fully relaxing around his old master. Wu seemed to notice, and accept it at least, giving him space to sort everything out. 

Morro wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or… disappointed. 

  
  


The first day Morro was woken by nightmares; horrible dreams that left him breathless and gasping, and he left his room to pace the halls of the ferry. The continuous sound of the waves on the sides of the boat made his throat close up, and he knew it might take a while for him to get used to the sounds enough to ignore them so that he would walk without fear building in his chest, making his heart pound. 

He passed by the ninja’s shared bedroom during the second night, and a small commotion was going on inside that made him pause instinctively, urgent quiet words coming from the ajar door. His eyes landed on Lloyd who was kneeling on the floor and the world ground to a halt, his feet rooting themselves to the floor. 

His hands were in his hair and he was struggling to breathe while his friends surrounded him in various states of worry and concern. 

“It’s okay,” Kai reassured him, his arm around his trembling form supportively as he knelt at his side. “You’re okay, Lloyd. We’ve got you.” 

Morro could only stand frozen when Lloyd’s eyes landed on him and watched as his eyes widened and he flinched back, away from him, hands gripping his hair tightly, and Morro… 

Morro’s heart stopped at the unadulterated  _ fear _ in Lloyd’s eyes, and took a step back. 

The others were looking at him, he could feel their eyes on him, maybe angry or accusing, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Lloyd, a horrible twisting feeling of guilt tearing at his insides. 

At Lloyd’s next choked inhale, he snapped out of his frozen state and tore his eyes away from him, turning away, stomach churning. 

“Morro, wait--” Lloyd’s voice stopped him, and he couldn’t stop himself from looking back, helpless in the face of his pleading words. 

Lloyd slumped a little when he turned, the pained expression on his face not fading. He still looked like he wanted to run, but determinedly--almost desperately--kept his eyes on Morro’s face. “I’m sorry,” he said, like he was the one who should feel guilty for reacting the way he was--like Morro was the one who needed reassuring. Lloyd was still trying to show him he didn’t blame him, that, in spite of his involuntary reaction, he wasn’t afraid of him. 

He was in mid-breakdown, and Lloyd was still only worrying about someone else.

He gave a small smile that he knew didn’t look any more real than it felt to try and convince him he understood, but by the look on Lloyd’s face he knew he hadn’t succeeded in the slightest. He swallowed the words in the back of his throat, knowing the sound of his voice might only hurt him more, then turned away, ignoring Lloyd’s outstretched hand and weak call of his name, and walked away. 

Lloyd found him the next morning and told him that he wasn’t afraid of him. 

He was clearly frustrated that his nightmares hadn’t stopped and that Morro’s was the face that haunted him in them. 

Morro just offered him a small barely-there smile and told him that he understood. 

Lloyd still looked frustrated and he sighed before pulling him into a hug, gripping him stubbornly. “I’m not afraid of you. And I don’t blame you.” 

Morro let his face drop onto his shoulder but didn’t dare to hug him back. 

He never walked near the ninja’s room again. 

  
  
  
  


__________________

  
  
  
  


Day four, his brain felt fuzzy.

His feet seemed both light and heavy at once, and the pounding headache that had started the previous morning was making it really hard to think. 

There was also a slight buzzing between his ears, but he ignored it. He hadn’t had a body for decades, he could barely remember what it was like to have one in the first place, everything was unfamiliar to him at this point; it was only when he stumbled slightly when walking through the hall that he thought something might have actually been wrong. 

He let himself lean against the wall for a moment breathing shallowly. 

“Hey,” someone said, and he looked up in confusion. 

He blinked a few times, having trouble processing who was in front of him for a moment until his mind registered it as Cole. He was still pretty transparent as a ghost, which was probably why he couldn’t focus on him properly. 

“Morro,” Cole said sharply, and he started slightly. 

“What?” he said, voice thick. 

“I asked you if you’re okay three times,” he said, brow furrowed. He looked wary but there was some concern in his eyes. Morro couldn’t imagine why he’d be concerned about  _ him _ . 

Wait. 

Had he asked him a question? 

“What?” he said. 

Cole’s concerned look increased, but he didn’t say anything else, his hands hovering slightly like he thought he was going to fall over. 

Morro blinked away the spots dancing in his vision and swallowed dryly. There was an almost painful feeling in his throat as he did so that sent him coughing. He couldn’t quite seem to catch his breath, even after stopping, and his skin felt clammy. 

This… this wasn’t right… was it? 

Cole was saying something but he couldn’t quite focus on his voice. 

He moved slowly, straightening up a little, keeping his palm against the wall for balance, and the even the slow movement felt abrupt, making the ground swim before his eyes, black static filling the edges of his vision. 

Then he promptly blacked out. 

  
  
  


_____________

  
  
  


Morro collapsed. 

Cole surged forward to catch him, mostly out of instinct, but his arms passed right through him and Morro’s head slammed into the wall on his way to the floor. 

He cursed his transparency and dropped down next to the fallen dude to see if he’d just died on them. He certainly looked bad enough for that to be the case. There were dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept at all in the last four days and his hair was kinda greasy. He was nearly as ashenly pale now as he had been when he was a ghost. Cole didn’t like him very much, but he wasn’t just going to leave him in the hall like this. 

“Morro,” Cole said loudly, tapping his arm. His fingers went right through him and he groaned in frustration taking a minute to focus on solidifying his form before tapping him and repeating his name again. 

There was no sign that the unconscious guy had heard him for a moment, and he was almost going to shake him lightly when he came to with an inhale, eyes blinking open slowly. He didn’t even show any signs of being in pain from his fall, he just stared up at Cole in confusion, eyes hazy. He looked really terrible. 

“Gods, dude,” Cole said incredulously. “You forget to eat or something?” 

Morro blinked slowly, and it took him a solid six seconds to answer, Cole’s concern growing with every moment that passed. “No.” The word was slurred. 

“You look like crap,” Cole told him honestly, grimacing at his dry cracked lips. It almost looked like he was suffering from severe dehydration; the dry lips, slow response time, the passing out-- 

He stopped, the realization slamming into him like a freight train. 

“When’s the last thing you drank something?” Cole demanded.

Four seconds passed before he answered. “What?” 

“Water,” Cole said slowly, making sure to keep eye contact and stress each word. “Have you had any?” 

It was delayed, but Morro flinched at the word, and moved slowly to sit up, arms shaking slightly as he pushed himself into a sitting position, before slumping against the wall, breathing heavily from the small movement. 

“Have you drank anything since you got here?” Cole asked again, feeling more urgent, and almost incredulous. 

“Water?” Morro repeated in a slurred mumble, looking around, expression endlessly confused. 

“Yes!” Cole snapped, and Morro flinched back, his head bumping against the wall, eyes wide, but still unfocused. 

Cole sighed frustratedly, and dragged his hand down his face before standing. “You stay here,” he said firmly. He waited until Morro nodded very slowly and promptly let himself phaze through the floor. 

Kai shrieked when he dropped through the ceiling and into the kitchen of the ferry. 

“Can you fill up a water bottle for me?” he asked, ignoring Kai’s wheezing as he pressed his hand against his chest. 

“You have got to stop doing that. You nearly gave me a heart attack, dude.” 

“You’re fine,” Cole said dismissively, and Kai gave him an offended look, to which he simply rolled his eyes at. “Water please?” 

“Yeesh, fine,” Kai grumbled, heading over to the sink, grabbing a water bottle out of the cupboard. “Bossy.” 

Cole waited impatiently as he filled it up, arms folded across his chest and foot tapping. 

“Here ya go,” Kai said, handing it to him after drying off the outside with a towel to clear up any droplets that had splashed. “One water bottle for one inconsiderate ghost. What do you want it for anyways?” 

“Don’t ask,” Cole said tiredly, knowing Kai wouldn’t like it, and he jogged out of the room, leaving the confused fire ninja behind him. 

It took him a minute to get back upstairs into the hallway where Morro was waiting. He would have phazed through the walls again, but the water bottle couldn’t have come with him and that was kind of the whole point of his current expedition. 

When he reached him, he was still slumped against the wall, breathing shallowly, eyes half closed. Cole dropped to kneel in front of him, startling him, and Morro’s eyes opened a bit wider as he blinked, shifting a little at the sight of him. 

“Here,” he said, offering him the water bottle. “You at least need to drink a little bit.” 

Morro’s eyes dropped down to the bottle and he stared at it for a moment before he seemed to realize what it was, then he was flinching back violently, head slamming against the wall again on his way back, and Cole jumped slightly at the abrupt motion. He did not want to think about the kind of headache he was going to have after all this. Morro stared at the water bottle with wide eyes, breathing sporadically uneven, his chest heaving. 

“Whoah, whoah,” Cole exclaimed. “Calm down, it’s okay! It’s just--” 

The thing that would have killed him four days ago. The thing that  _ did _ kill him four days ago. Something he avoided. Something  _ Cole  _ avoided since becoming a ghost. 

“--water…” he finished weakly, looking down at the sealed bottle in his hands. 

Morro was still looking at it like it was a live grenade and Cole felt bad for not realizing why sooner. 

“It’s okay, man,” he said softly, and Morro’s eyes flicked up to meet his for a moment before fastening themselves back to the water in his hands. “You’re not a ghost anymore, it can’t hurt you.” 

Morro’s eyes flicked up to him again, and Cole could see the panic was fading a bit and he was starting to come back to himself, so he offered him a reassuring smile. 

“Look, I get it, water’s bad for you as a ghost. But as an alive person, you kinda need it to keep… well, y’know... _ living _ .” He held the water bottle out again, more slowly this time so as not to startle him and gave him an earnest smile. “You’ll feel better after drinking some. I promise.” 

Morro still looked unconvinced, but the glazed look of panic and confusion had faded enough that Cole was confident he was at least little aware of his surroundings. He still didn’t take the bottle though, and Cole sighed. 

“Look,” he said, giving him a pointed look. “If you don’t drink anything, you are literally going to die. Again. People can go three days without water before it becomes dangerous or fatal. You’re on day four, and you cried your first day here, so really, I’m surprised you didn’t pass out sooner.” He rubbed at his eyes, grimacing slightly. “I can’t believe Lloyd didn’t--” he stopped, then sighed, shoulders slumping a little. “No. I can. He looks almost as bad as you. Not surprising that he didn’t notice. And you’re avoiding Wu. And nobody else… cares.” He grimaced, feeling a little guilty. 

Morro’s eyes had dropped to the ground and his head was swaying slightly like he was starting to fall asleep. It was such a contrast to the Morro that he was used to. He just looked… human.

Cole watched him for a moment, considering maybe getting Lloyd or Wu to come convince him that water wasn’t going to hurt him if he drank it, and that he really needed to as soon as humanly possible; he was hardly the one who should have been handling said water since, he wasn’t exactly close to the guy at all, and, unlike Morro, water could still harm him. 

He ran his fingers through his hair, then shook his head. Lloyd was probably still sleeping, and he needed as much rest as he could since he could barely sleep during the night, and he didn’t even begin to know where to look for Wu, their Master could have been taking a ride on his elemental dragon for all he knew, and Morro needed water sooner rather than later, so he leaned forward and tapped his head with the water bottle making him look up again blearily. 

“I’m not leaving until you drink some of this,” Cole told him. 

Morro was starting to look dazed again, so he reached forward and put the bottle into his hands. He looked down at it, but didn’t drop it or jerk away again. Cole wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad sign. 

It took some prodding but eventually he got him to unscrew the lid and at least get some liquid on his finger so he knew it didn’t hurt him. His breathing had started getting laboured when he’d done so and it had taken him a few minutes to calm down. 

A while later he brought the bottle to his lips with shaking hands. He was gripping it so hard his fingers nearly white, and Cole thought the hard plastic might crack for a second. He drank a little and then started shaking so badly that Cole had to take the water away from him for several minutes to give him time to recollect himself. 

Sometime in between it all he had started muttering to himself, words slurred so badly that Cole couldn’t understand a thing he was saying. He wasn’t even sure Morro himself knew what he was saying, or if he was even aware that he was talking at all. 

It was hard to say how long they were sitting in the hallway. Usually Cole could use his body as an indicator; his legs would start to lose feeling or something would start to ache if he sat for too long, but that tell was gone now. He had the scary thought that he could sit in the hallway for years and not even realize any time had passed. He shook the feeling off before refocusing his attention on Morro. He was surprised none of the others had walked past yet, honestly. 

The bottle was half-empty before Cole let Morro put it down, and the guy curled up and rested his head on top of his knees, breathing shallowly and shaking even as his shoulders slumped and he went mostly limp, exhaustion seeming to hang off of every part of him. 

Cole figured he hadn’t eaten in a while either. There was a loss of appetite that came when someone was dehydrated. He’d have to grab him something to eat later, and maybe carry him back to his room. He didn’t look like he’d be in walking condition any time soon. 

“You’re lucky I came along,” Cole mused aloud, almost to himself. He’d rather not have thought about what would have happened if Morro had passed out and there had been no one around to notice. The time spent in the hallway told him that no one would have come along any time soon. He might’ve just been there all day and night and then… 

Cole shook his head, and pushed away the guilt that was starting to settle in his chest. Didn’t matter. Well, it did matter, but they could discuss Morro’s lack of self-awareness later. In the meantime, he didn’t need to dwell on what might have been. He had a present to focus on. 

“Hey,” he said, poking Morro’s leg. “You still with me?” 

Morro showed no signs that he heard him for a solid seven seconds so Cole poked him again. This time he stirred a little, making an attempt to lift his head, but he seemed to give up on it pretty quickly, letting it fall back against his knees, with an exhale. 

“Alright,” Cole said, getting to his feet. “I’m not leaving you here, and you don’t seem like you’re getting up, so I’m gonna carry you to your room, alright?” He waited for a moment to see if he’d even understood anything he’d said. 

Morro mumbled something that was muffled and could hardly even be considered a sound let alone an actual word. Worrisome, but he brushed it aside for now. 

“I’ll take that as permission,” Cole decided, bending down and scooping him up, into his arms. If the motion bothered him at all, he didn’t show it, head lolling slightly. His eyes were still partially open, but the rest of him was completely limp, and Cole felt a little like he might just slip through his arms like jello for a second. 

Grounding himself, and ensuring his focus was present enough that his body wouldn’t suddenly turn transparent, Cole started forward, leaving the water bottle where it was on the floor in the hallway. He’d come back for it later. 

The walk to Morro’s room wasn’t too far, and he wondered if he’d been trying to get there before he’d passed out. 

The door was already partially ajar when he reached it and he pushed it open the rest of the way with his foot so that he could enter, careful not to bump Morro’s head against the doorframe. Gods knew, he’d already had enough head trauma for the day. There weren’t any windows in the room and it was pretty much pitch black inside. Or at least, it would have been if Cole was still alive. He found  _ the dark _ wasn’t actually all that dark anymore for him since becoming a ghost. 

He soundlessly made his way over to the small bed that was pressed up against the wall and dropped Morro onto the mattress unceremoniously. 

Cole stood there for a moment debating his next move. He didn’t know where Wu was, and Lloyd really needed to take a step back from Morro, and stop acting like he was personally responsible for the guy’s well-being, but Morro was in no condition to take care of himself, Cole wasn’t even sure he knew  _ how _ at this point, and of course he wasn’t just going to leave him to die of dehydration in his dark bedroom. He’d grab him some food and some more water and get Zane to drop by and make sure he wasn’t actually dying, he’d probably be fine with it. 

He was turning away when Morro’s slurred voice stopped him. 

“M’sorry.”

Cole stopped, then turned to look at him. “What?” 

“You’re a ghost,” he said, words so slurred and muffled that it took Cole a moment to understand what he was saying. 

“Mm’ fault,” Morro said, and Cole stared at him. 

“You… what?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?” He might’ve been more deleriuos than he’d thought. 

“Mm’ fault,” Morro repeated, words not any clearer than before. 

“You think me being a ghost is your fault?” Cole asked, incredulously. 

Morro’s silence was all the answer he needed and Cole felt a little like he’d been knocked off balance. 

Sure, if you looked at it hard enough, you could trace him becoming a ghost back to Morro possessing Lloyd, but… as much as Cole hated the whole situation, he’d never actually  _ blamed  _ they guy. He’d been the catalyst for it, but he certainly wasn’t the one who’d actually cursed him or tried to trap him in the airjitzu temple. And if what Lloyd said was true… well… blaming him would just be ridiculous. 

“It’s not your fault,” he found himself saying. 

Morro turned his face away, pressing it into the sheets. 

“You’re not the one who killed me,” Cole said firmer. “I don’t blame you, and you shouldn’t blame yourself. You can’t take credit for every bad thing that’s ever happened to us, you’re not  _ that _ impressive.” 

Morro’s hands curled into fists, and he didn’t respond. 

Cole sighed. No wonder Lloyd was feeling frustrated. He scrubbed a hand across his face and pinched the bridge of his nose before biting back any other words. Morro was not in the right state of mind to talk about his ‘ _ blame-myself-for-everything complex _ ’, and they needed to focus on getting him physically better before they could start focusing on the mentally better. Besides, it wasn’t something that could be fixed with a few words. It would take some time. 

“If you’re gonna stay with us, you gotta learn to take care of yourself,” Cole settled on saying. “I’m not letting Lloyd run himself ragged trying to make sure you don’t die from self-neglect, got it?” Gods knew he would if they let him. They still hadn’t gotten him to slow down enough to actually  _ talk _ to any of them about what happened, but that was another problem for later. 

Morro curled up a little, as though physically trying to hide from his words. 

“You get a free pass this time,” Cole said. “Cause you’re not used to having a body. But please, don’t let this become a regular thing, okay?” 

Morro didn’t respond, but Cole was okay with that. He figured at least something had got through to him. 

“I’ll be back later,” he said, turning away. “Try not to die while I’m gone.” 

“Says the ghost,” Morro said so quietly that he almost missed it. 

Cole stared at him for a moment, before a laugh was startled out of him. Who knew, the angsty ex-ghost had a sense of humour. 

“Says the guy who’s died twice,” Cole shot back, heading out of the room. He paused, voice softening a lot more than he meant it to. “Get some sleep, Morro.” He shut the door behind him and headed off down the hall to find Zane. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GO DRINK SOME WATER, eat some food, have a snack, carry a water bottle around; if you start feeling sluggish, or tired, or have trouble focusing, have a couple sips, it'll help. Water helps improve focus and gives you energy, believe it or not. Make sure you take care of yourself today. YOU'RE AN AMAZING HUMAN BEING WHO DESERVES CARE. Also, taking care of yourself makes it a little easier to live. If you don't feel like you can do that for yourself, do that for me, aight? Eat a snack, drink some water and let me know if you did, I really love knowing that other people are looking after themselves sskdfamwksdlf Aight, I'll stop now kssklfwdsfj HAVE A FREAKING AWESOME DAY, I LOVE YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU EXIST AND THAT IS AMAZING. Knox out <33 *yeets good vibes at you*


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole talks, Zane talks, Morro's got a lot to think about

Morro did not remember how to care for a living body, that much Zane could deduce. 

Malnourished, dehydrated, sleep-deprived, unnaturally fast heartbeat; any one of the symptoms alone were concerning, but together? Well, he was surprised he had not collapsed sooner. 

When Cole had pulled him aside and asked them to take a moment to scan Morro to make sure he wasn’t dying, he had assumed it was simply an exaggeration, but upon getting a look at him he realized Cole may not have been entirely joking. 

Upon entering Morro’s bedroom, he could see the person in question was unconscious, face pressed into the mattress awkwardly in a way that made Zane concerned that he may not have been able to breathe properly. He had not seen much of Morro in the past four days aside from his general arrival, but judging by his appearance, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he had not eaten, drunk or slept at all since he’d arrived. 

Cole stood by, leaning against the doorframe as Pixal completed the scan. She reported back to him and they both felt a stab of sympathy towards the unconscious human. 

“So?” he asked, as Zane blinked and straightened up. “How is he?” 

Zane turned to him, grimacing a little. 

“As bad as he looks, huh?” Cole said, grimacing back at him, then sighed, dragging his hand down his face. “Lloyd’s gonna be mad.” 

“I’m surprised he did not collapse sooner,” Zane stated, glancing back at Morro. The dark circles under his eyes looked a lot like bruises. 

“Yeah,” Cole huffed. “I said the same thing.” 

“We will need to keep a closer eye on him in the future,” Pixal determined, and Zane relayed her conclusion 

“I talked to him about it a little,” Cole said heading out of the room. He pulled the door shut behind Zane as he followed him outside. 

“It would probably be wise to do so again when he is not suffering from dehydration,” Zane told him. “I doubt he was aware enough to remember much of a lecture.” 

“You seem pretty chill about this,” Cole said, glancing at him as they walked. 

“I am capable of putting aside my own emotions to deal with situations without being biased,” he said, and he could feel Cole’s wary gaze on him. 

Pixal gave a sigh, and Zane made the wise decision not to acknowledge the sound. 

“You don’t have to help him if you don’t want to,” Cole said cautiously. “I can handle it.” 

Zane allowed his eyes to flick over to him for a moment before resuming his forward gaze. “It is not an issue.”

“Zane,” Cole said, and fingers curled around his wrist, stopping him. He tugged his arm to get him to turn to him, which Zane did after a moment of hesitation. Cole studied his face, looking concerned. “You’re doing it again. You can’t just ignore your emotions like that.” 

“I am a nindroid,” Zane told him flatly. “It is not difficult for me to shut them off.” This conversation was reminding him a lot of one that they’d had back when he’d first discovered his true nature as a nindroid. 

Cole grimaced. “Turn them back on.” He looked at him, brows furrowed. “Please?” 

Zane stared at him for a moment before sighing and complying with his request. 

He didn’t like shutting out his emotions. It was often counterproductive since they didn’t get any better after he ignored them, only ever staying the same or getting stronger, but he’d needed a clear mind for a moment and it was the only thing he could think of.

The grimace found its way onto his face immediately as he let his emotions settle inside him and he closed his eyes and gave himself a moment to breathe before speaking. “I don’t know how to feel about helping him,” he confessed, opening his eyes to look at Cole. “He was an enemy, but apparently was never one in the first place, and I--” he ran his fingers through his hair. 

Cole’s grip on his wrist released and he intertwined their fingers together, making Zane look at him again. He gave him a smile and his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay to not feel okay about the whole situation. I mean, look at Kai, he’s ready to throw Morro of the ship if he so much as breathes wrong.” He huffed a little laugh. 

Zane pursed his lips, not quite able to keep the smile from twitching onto his face. “I suppose so.” His smile faded and his eyes dropped to the ground for a moment as he considered his next words. “I…” he frowned. “I wish to help him, but I am unsure if I should be so comfortable with it after everything that he has done.” He looked up at Cole to gauge his reaction, eyes met with only a carefully neutral expression, like he was waiting for the rest of his explanation so he dropped his eyes again and continued. 

“Especially since it is not only me who would be helping him as Pixal is not currently able to simply leave if she so desires. I do not wish to inadvertently force her to be around him if she does not wish to.” 

“Oh, Zane,” Pixal said softly. “Is that what’s been bothering you?” 

He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at her. “I feel like I should be angrier than I am. Is it bad that I wish to believe Lloyd’s claims so easily?” 

Cole laughed a little, and Zane looked at him curiously as the other ninja gave him a warm smile. “No, it’s not bad. It’s just you.” He bumped their shoulders together fondly. “You’ve got a lot of kindness stored in that tin-can of a body of yours.” 

“Titanium,” Zane corrected, just to see the smile that cracked onto Cole’s face when he said it. 

“It’s not bad to want to forgive and help and look for the best in people,” Cole told him, still smiling. “You don’t need to feel guilty for accepting change faster than the rest of us.” 

“Hm,” Zane said. 

Pixal nodded in approval. “And next time, just talk to me about it, Zane.” She huffed, giving him a fond exasperated smile. “I can assure you, you are not forcing me to do anything. If I felt uncomfortable I would let you know” 

“My apologies, Pixal,” he said to her sheepishly, making Cole laugh, even though he couldn’t hear Pixal’s side of the conversation. Zane couldn’t help but huff a small laugh along with him, squeezing his hand lightly. 

“Thank you Cole.”

“Anytime, dude,” Cole smiled. He squeezed back, before releasing his hand and squaring his shoulders with a grin. “Well! Since we’re already up and about, we might as well go check on Lloyd to make sure he’s doing alright. I don’t think he’s eaten anything yet today.” 

“I’m fairly certain Kai is already handling it,” Zane said with a small laugh. “I saw him heading in Lloyd’s direction on our way over here.”

“Never hurts to double check,” Cole shrugged as he started walking. “Come on.” 

Zane shook his head, smiling fondly and followed his teammate, his heart a little lighter.

  
  
  


____________

  
  
  
  
  


At first it was just Lloyd and Wu, but now the ice ninja was suddenly another one that didn’t make sense to Morro. 

He had been fairly distant during Morro’s time on the ferry with the ninja, so when a knock came on his door, and he’d opened it to see him standing outside with a plate of food and a bottle of water in his hands, he really didn’t know how to react. 

Morro blinked at him, wondering if maybe he was hallucinating again. His brain still felt pretty fuzzy, though the headache had retreated somewhat since he’d passed out. It was at least enough to know that it was odd to see this particular ninja outside his door. 

“May I come in?” Zane asked patiently, with a small smile. 

Morro stared at him for a moment before blinking and dropping his gaze, stepping away from the door to allow him entrance. “Alright.” He turned and headed back to his bed, sitting down on the edge tentatively and watching Zane warily as the ninja entered and placed the plate of food on the dresser next to the door. 

Zane turned to look at him and tilted his head as though thinking. 

Morro shifted under his gaze. 

“You are still severely malnourished and dehydrated,” he told him suddenly, startling him a little, and Morro looked at him, feeling a little like a deer in headlights. 

“Huh?” he said feebly. 

Zane picked the bottle of water back up off the dresser and approached his bed, making Morro look up slightly to keep looking at him. 

Morro couldn’t quite help the way he tensed, and his eyes flicked to the bottle in his hands, nervousness knotting in his chest and making his lungs squeeze a little. 

“May I?” Zane asked softly, gesturing to the bed. 

It took Morro a moment to understand what he was asking, but scooched to the side with a jerky nod to make room for him. 

Zane offered him another small smile before sitting down next to him carefully, his weight making the mattress dip slightly. 

Morro glanced at him for a moment before dropping his eyes to stare at the floor, barely resisting the urge to fiddle with his fingers. 

“Cole told me you have trouble drinking,” Zane said, after a moment of silence. 

He jerked a little at that, looking at him. “What?” 

Zane looked back, patiently. “You have aquaphobia.” 

Morro stared at him blankly. “I have what-now?” 

“An intense fear of water.”

Ah. 

Right. 

That. 

Morro dropped his eyes, looking back at the floor. 

“That is a rather large problem since human bodies require a great deal of water to survive,” Zane told him. 

Morro vaguely remembered Cole saying something similar but that memory was a bit hazy. Who knew getting a body again would come with so many complications… 

“You will need to overcome your fear if you are to survive.” 

He resisted the urge to snap back that he wasn’t afraid but held his tongue, annoyed both at the truth of Zane’s words and at himself for feeling so defensive about it. 

“It is nothing to be ashamed of,” Zane said quietly, which really only made him bristle. “Water equaled death for you for a very long time, and did result in your second death. It’s natural to be averse to it after that.” 

Morro scowled at the floor, hunching slightly, his hands gripping his own arms in something that might’ve resembled a hug. 

“I could help you, if you’d let me,” came the quiet offer. 

Morro stared at him. 

Zane looked back, unfazed by his incredulous expression. “It’s not going to get better right away, but I would prefer if you did not die again because of something preventable.” 

“Oddly kind of you to offer,” Morro muttered, mostly to himself, intertwining his fingers and squeezing them a little to ground himself. “Why would you help me?” 

Zane was quiet for a moment. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

That made Morro look at him again, heart lodged in his throat. “I…” 

“If you are going to say something about hurting me and my friends, may I remind you that Lloyd already informed us of the situation and you are not to blame for your actions.” 

“But what if I was?” Morro snapped, regretting his harsh tone instantly. 

Zane shrugged. “I suppose it might be a different matter. Just like it would be a different matter if you did not show remorse for your actions under the Preeminent’s influence. Your willingness to change and honest regret for what occurred tells me that you took no pleasure in the pain that was inadvertently caused by your hand.” 

“Part of me did,” Morro said, nails digging into his palms as he grimaced at the floor. 

Zane was quiet for a moment again before speaking. “What expression are you making right now?” 

Morro glanced at him. “Huh?” 

“The expression on your face,” Zane specified, his head tilting slightly. “Are you smiling?” 

Morro blinked, brows furrowing. “N-no?” 

“Are you laughing?” 

“I--” 

“You say that part of you enjoyed hurting my friends, and yet as you say those words…” Zane studied him for a moment. “...you looked pained.” 

He didn’t understand what he was saying. “Because it’s--” 

“You would not grimace every time you are reminded of what you’ve done if you did not regret it, Morro.” 

The words died in his throat and he stared at him, mouth parted in a small gape. 

Zane offered him a sad smile. “Part of you, you say. But judging by your physical reaction, I believe it is safe to say not all of you, and certainly not most of you. The part that took pleasure in the suffering of others is small, and rather insignificant in the wake of who you truly are.” 

The words were like a kick to his chest and the breath was completely knocked out of him as he gaped soundlessly at him. 

Zane didn’t seem to find his reaction strange, if anything he just looked sad--like he’d been expecting it. He stood from the bed and placed the bottle on the ground by Morro’s feet, a good foot and a half away so there wasn’t any risk of him kicking it over, then straightened up and gave him another smile, this one holding a lot more than Morro wanted to read into. 

“Please eat something, and try to drink at least a little. I’ll be back to check on you later.” And with that he turned and left the room, footsteps making hardly a sound as he walked, the door closing behind him with a click. 

Morro sat there, staring at the door until the sound of his footsteps faded out. 

He glanced at the food on the dresser, then down at the water at his feet, and remained there, thinking, for a very long time. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-reading this as I edited it was like: ;-; 
> 
> Like, dang, I forgot past me could write yo LKSMDFAOWIEF 
> 
> Brain feeling fuzzy? Drink some water. Tired? Drink some water. Trouble focusing? Drink some water. For real, it'll help <3 (also SNACKS) (healthy snacks preferably but so long as you eat something) 
> 
> (Re-reading all this, I'm seeing now the whole message of this fic is basically "drink water" LKASDMFOIAW LOL) 
> 
> Hydrate, don't Die-drate SKKSLDFMAWOEIF 
> 
> *dumps a bucket of good vibes on you* YOUR DAY WILL BE AMAZING NOW, BECAUSE I WILLED IT SO. LOVE YOU! <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nya has a hard time falling asleep and Morro doesn't seem to sleep at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: for self harm. It's just Morro digging his fingers into his arms. It's only for a moment, and I already mentioned it in the tags, but wanted to do it again, just to make sure. Stay safe y'all's <3

They’d all had a bit of trouble sleeping since the whole ghost thing had started. 

Honestly, they’d had trouble sleeping long before that, but it had gotten pretty bad since they’d lost Lloyd. Even now, after they got him back, they all still woke up and were on their feet ready to fight the ghosts that were no longer there at the slightest whisper of an unfamiliar sound; they slept in full ninja gear, and with weapons nearby, and none of them were really sure how to break the habit. 

Nya wasn’t sure why they didn’t just dogpile into a puddle of cushions on the floor since they seemed to end up there every night anyways. There was always someone with a nightmare, and the rest of them were more than willing to comfort and reassure them, which usually meant dragging the blankets off the bed and sitting together on the floor since there wasn’t enough room for more than two people on their beds; three if they were really pushing it. She could tell they all slept better that way too, but no one seemed ready to take the step and just grab all the mattresses, shove them together on the floor, and say that they were all sleeping together from then on. 

She didn’t have much for nightmares--not ones she could remember anyways--but she had a lot of trouble falling asleep. The smallest sound would wake her and leave her with her eyes wide open for hours, no matter how hard she tried to convince her brain that it was nothing and that they weren’t in any danger. 

It was on one such night, almost a week after defeating the Preeminent, that she lay awake staring at the dark ceiling and attempting to shut her eyes. They’d snap open every few seconds when an especially loud wave hit the side of the ferry, and, after a while, she just gave up and let them stay open. 

Distant footsteps reached her ears. A little heavy and stumbling, like the person was only half-awake or wasn’t used to their own weight. 

Morro was up then. 

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. He’d been walking around almost every night, nearly  _ all _ night. She didn’t even think the guy was sleeping at all. She felt a little bad for him, but was mostly just annoyed since his pacings kept her awake, even from the other side of the ship.

She really wanted to hate him. 

It would be so easy after everything he’d done but… she trusted Wu, and even more so Lloyd. If her little brother vouched for him and forgave the one who possessed him for so long then she could too. And if what he was saying was true, the person who’d done all that stuff to them wasn’t really Morro in the first place. Well, it  _ was _ , but it wasn’t. The whole thing was a mess. For now, she would give him the benefit of the doubt. For Lloyd. 

But if he betrayed them, she wouldn’t hesitate to turn him into a ghost again and make sure he didn’t come back this time. 

Morro’s faltering footsteps faded out a little before ceasing completely and leaving the ship in an eerie silence. She blinked up at the ceiling, wondering whether she should just get up and start doing something productive if she wasn’t going to be sleeping. 

  
She was still mulling it over when a very faint but very distinct sound of shattering glass reached her ears, barely audible over the rhythmic creaks of the ship. 

Her heart rate spiked but she remained unmoving against her mattress, ears straining for any other sounds but nothing came after it. 

None of the other’s stirred, all completely unconscious. It had been so distant and quiet that she wasn’t surprised. Unless your ears were already straining to hear something, it would have been easy to miss. 

Her anxiety and worry got the better of her, so she slipped out of bed and silently made her way out of the room, using the well practiced path that avoided any squeaky floorboards that might wake anyone else up. 

Her boots made no sound, even as she walked through the hall, going slower and more cautious the closer she got to the source of the sound. She couldn’t feel any unfamiliar air current or cold air in the hallway, which meant it hadn’t been a window that had been broken. And there was only one room on the ferry with another type of glass in it. 

She didn’t know what she had been expecting when she reached the kitchen, but it certainly wasn’t to see Morro curled up on himself, back pressed against the cupboards under the sink, and she faltered to a stop, staring at him.

His head was down so he didn’t see her standing in the doorway, and Nya made no attempt to conceal herself, distracted by the sight before her. His knees were pulled up to his chest, hands fisted in his hair, gripping tightly, body shaking uncontrollably. The source of the sound that had brought her there was a shattered cup on the floor, it’s pieces spread across the floor. It looked like a landmine when she realized he wasn’t wearing any shoes. 

Morro’s breathing was erratic and strained as his shoulders tensed and he curled up on himself tighter. He was muttering, and Nya could only stand, rooted to the spot as he babbled to himself, words a steady stream between his shaky exhales and gasping inhales. 

“We’re fine,” he said, voice shaking as he tried to reassure himself. “We’re fine, we’re okay. This is real. We’re not a ghost, we’re in control. She’s not here, she’s gone, she can’t--” he cut himself off with a torn sound of frustration and desperation and ripped his hands out of his hair, grabbing his own arms tightly around his biceps and digging his fingers in  _ hard _ . 

His nails pressed against his skin hard enough to draw blood and the sight of it was what caused her to surge forward. 

The glass on the floor crunched under her boots as she reached him and she grabbed his wrists, yanking them away from his own arms to stop him from hurting himself further. “Hey!” She snapped, sounding angrier than she had meant to. 

Morro jerked backwards away from her, head slamming against the cupboards, hard enough to make her wince, and stared up at her with wide panicked eyes, breathing sporadically, on the verge of a panic attack. She’s had enough herself and seen her brother and team have them to know one when she saw it. 

She softened her expression, crouching down so they are more eye-level and transferred her hand from gripping his wrist to intertwining their fingers and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. 

“Hey,” she said softly. “Don’t do that please.” 

His eyes flickered between her face and their hands, gulping a few times, breathing still panicked, but his eyes were sharper and more present, grounded. 

“It’s okay,” Nya told him. “You’re okay.” 

The simple reassurance seemed to be exactly what he needed and he got his breathing under control, taking deeper breaths before letting his head fall forward onto his knees, hiding his face from her. 

She noticed that he made no move to pull away, but he didn’t squeeze her hand back, almost as if he was afraid that if he crossed a line she would leave entirely. 

She felt a stab of guilt at the fact that he was probably right. If she hadn’t approached him first she probably would have blasted him off the side of the ferry for getting this close. 

She stayed crouched for a minute, watching silently as he got his breathing under control.

By the looks of it this was something he’d been dealing with for a while. She’d never even thought he might be dealing with the same trauma as Lloyd, and she abruptly realized that chances were he hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about it. As far as she knew he’d been avoiding Wu, and Lloyd hadn’t mentioned anything about coming to him about it, which meant he’d been dealing with it on his own since the first night. 

She pursed her lips for a moment, before standing halfway from her crouch, remaining a little stooped over, so she could maneuver to the side of him that didn’t have glass on the floor and sat down there, sitting close enough that their shoulders were pressed firmly together, all the while not releasing his hand. She found physical contact helped ground Kai, and it seemed to work for him as well. 

They sat like that for a while, as Morro breathed.

“I… didn’t mean to wake you,” he finally said, voice quiet, making no attempt to pull his hand away. Nya could feel how he was still trembling. 

“You didn’t,” she told him. 

“Oh,” he said quietly. 

They sat in silence. 

“You been dealing with this the whole time?” she asked quietly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. 

He tensed a little at that. “I--It’s fine. Not important.” His voice quieted a bit, and he still hadn’t raised his head from where it rested on his knees, his hair falling to hide most of his face. 

“It’s was stupid of me to think Lloyd was the only one to be getting nightmares like this,” Nya said, almost to herself, before turning her head to look at him. “I’m sorry we didn’t notice sooner.” 

His head shot up, an almost horrified look on his face. “No! No, you--” he shrunk away from her slightly but still didn’t pull his hand away, voice quieting. “None of you are responsible for me, and you don’t have any reason to--” he inhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m almost twenty--ugh, no, I’m several hundred years old--and you’re  _ teenagers _ I--” 

“Lloyd trusts you,” she cut him off firmly, tone leaving no room for argument. “That’s reason enough for me. And being an adult doesn’t make you immune to trauma.” She looked at him pointedly and he stared at her, his expression one of incredulous disbelief. 

“Three or four hundred years isn’t that big of a difference anyways,” she said it as more of a joke but he didn’t so much as crack a smile, still looking at her, unsure and afraid, but oh so desperate for any form of reassurance. 

She looked at him for a moment and then sighed, releasing his hand and standing up. She didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath when she pulled away and how he shrunk into himself even further. 

“Don’t move, okay?” she said looking at the broken glass shattered across the floor. “We don’t want your feet getting cut up. I’ll get a broom.” 

He didn’t protest and watched her silently as she retrieved the dustpan and broom from the cupboard and throughout the entire process of sweeping the whole kitchen floor. It was more the gaze of a wounded animal than anything, cautious and wary, so she let him stare. 

She helped him to his feet after finishing up, disposing of the glass, and propping the broom up against the corner of the counter, and he stood, leaning on her slightly, unsteady and unsure. He dropped his eyes and just stared at the floor. 

It occurred to her that he probably wasn’t going to be sleeping for long, even if she did manage to convince him to head back to his room. Nightmares were the worst, and it wasn’t like he had anyone there to remind him of what was reality and what wasn’t. She felt another stab of guilt at the thought. 

Her warriness hadn’t faded entirely but… well…

She looked at him, with his greasy hair, still slightly trembling form and dark circles under his eyes. 

Either Lloyd was telling the truth or Morro was an incredible actor. 

  
Somehow she doubted that it was the latter. 

“Come on,” she decided, gesturing in the direction of his room. “I’ll keep you company.” 

His head snapped up to stare at her again, eyes wide and shocked and maybe slightly alarmed. “What?” 

“Having another person in the room helps when you wake up from a nightmare,” she told him patiently. “It’ll help you sleep.” 

He stared at her incredulously. “But--aren’t you worried about--?” 

“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, giving him an amused smirk. “I’m not afraid of you. You can barely stand right now. I’d kick your butt if you tried anything. And even if you were genuinely evil, I doubt you’d be stupid enough to try anything while there’s five other people here who could also kick your butt, one of which really loaths your guts right now and happens to be my brother.” 

Morro’s mouth twitched, almost like a smile was threatening to come out, but it was quickly overshadowed by his endlessly confused and nervous expression. He still didn’t look like he thought it was a good idea  _ at all _ . Which was fair, she supposed. But it wasn’t like she was going to wake up one of the others to sit with him. If they were actually asleep there was no way she was waking them up, not when uninterrupted rest was so rare for all of them. 

“Come on, you really look like you could use some sleep,” she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along. 

He followed after her, footsteps stumbling and slow, but didn’t argue any further. 

When she looked back, the confused expression was still lingering on his face as he stared at the floor, but his nervousness seemed to have faded a little. Though... that might’ve just been his exhaustion catching up to him. His fingers twitched a little when she adjusted her grip from his wrist to his hand, but he still didn’t squeeze back. 

They reached his room and Nya pushed the door open before pulling him inside after her. 

It was pretty dark; she hadn’t realized there were no windows to let the moonlight at least give some semblance of sight. She wondered if he even knew which direction he was facing when he woke up. She couldn’t imagine waking up from a nightmare and not knowing which way was up. 

She paused, releasing his hand for a moment. “Wait here,” she said, before heading out into the hall. 

The lamps that lined the walls were removable, as they’d learned when Cole and Jay had knocked one off the wall while doing goodness-knows-what in the hallway. She fumbled for a moment before finding the match stored in a compartment inside the lamp outside Morro’s door and it took her a minute to light it. 

After she’d gotten it lit, cursing once when she’d accidentally let the match burn down too far and the heat had burned her finger a little. A quick check in the new lamplight told her that there hadn’t actually been any concerning damage done and she tucked the extinguished match into her gi’s pocket, before heading back inside Morro’s room. 

He was still standing exactly where she’d left him, and he didn’t make any sign that he noticed her enter the room, arms hanging limply by his sides. 

Nya placed the lamp on the dresser that was beside the door then stepped forward more confidently now that she could actually see the room around her. It was pretty small and empty aside from the bed that was pressed against the back wall, a few meters from the door. She couldn’t help but think it was more of a closet than a room, really. She almost suggested he come join the others before she remembered the first night’s incident when he’d walked by while Lloyd was in mid-panic attack. 

Right. 

She sighed, blowing a strand of hair away that had fallen into her face during her struggle with the lamp and grabbed Morro’s hand again, pulling him over to his bed and pushing him to sit down on the edge of it before giving him a firm look. “Sleep,” she ordered. 

Morro’s face flashed through a few expressions before he was dropping his eyes and letting himself fall over sideways so he was laying down, feet still hanging over the edge of the bed in a way that could  _ not _ be comfortable. 

Nya snorted, turning away. “I mean, if you wanna sleep like that, go right ahead.” 

Morro didn’t respond, so Nya padded over to a corner plopped down onto the floor, resting her back against the wall and crossing her legs to get comfortable. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to breathe for a moment. 

Who would have thought she’d be caring about Morro of all people. 

She opened her eyes again after a moment and listened to his barely audible breathing while watching the shadows of the lamplight flicker and dance across the walls and ceiling. 

Every once in a while his breathing would even out but then be interrupted by a deeper inhale, almost like he kept dozing off then waking up. 

“Go to sleep, Morro,” Nya said after the fifth deep inhale. “I’ll wake you up if anything happens.” 

“It’s not that easy,” he mumbled back. 

“Just focus on my breathing and you’ll go right out.” 

A huff, that might’ve been an actual laugh, came from the guy. 

It took a while longer, but eventually his breathing evened out and stayed steady. 

She allowed her head to turn so that she could look at him. 

He hadn’t moved from the awkward position that he’d flopped down into, and Nya was honestly surprised he’d managed to fall asleep like that in the first place. He must not have been expecting to actually pass out. The shadows of the lamplight flickered across his unconscious face. Even in sleep his brows were furrowed, from a dream, a nightmare, maybe something else...

Nya still wasn’t completely sure what to think of the guy. But she was sitting on the floor of his room, offering him a comforting presence to hopefully help with his nightmares, so maybe part of her had already decided. 

She just wasn’t ready to admit to it yet. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My note for the end of this chapter is this: If something helps you sleep, like a nightlight, or having another person in the room, or sleeping with a stuffy... that's okay. It's not immature or childish, and you don't need to "grow up", or rather, growing up doesn't mean letting go of the little things that make you happy. Whatever the case is, you are valid <3 Anyway, don't know why but I just wanted to say that ksksdfmaowef <3 
> 
> Go be awesome y'all <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay just wants fast-food, sleep, and people to stop moping around so much.

Morro spent a lot of time in his room. 

He usually avoided them all, didn’t really show up for meals, or try to interact with any of them, outside of when Lloyd would seek him out, so it was so hard not to be suspicious of everything he did, and everything he  _ didn’t _ do. Jay supposed he would have been doubly suspicious of the dude had just started acting buddy-buddy out of the blue, but still. 

He did, however, understand Morro’s aversion to meals. Breakfast would have been pretty awkward if he was sitting at the table with them; Jay didn’t like the guy, but he probably would have been more annoyed by Kai’s constant death-glare than Morro being there. The guy’s presence actually wasn’t that much of a bother to him, he found, especially not after observing him a bit.

Cole had told him about how Morro had passed out in the hallway a few days ago, and Jay did find himself getting a little more sympathetic towards the guy. Then Nya mentioned him having nightmares and panic attacks and… well… It was a little hard to hate a guy who was having that hard of a time. And Nya could read people pretty well, so it wasn’t like he was faking it either. Not to mention Jay was pretty sure he’d seen him just standing in a room and staring at a wall in the middle of the day when he’d walked passed his room one time. His door had been slightly ajar but he hadn’t even seemed to notice him walk past. That was some evidence that he wasn’t doing so good if there ever was some. 

Part of him wanted to help him out somehow, but… well, he wasn’t quite ready to stop disliking him quite yet. Though he did have to admit that Kai’s constant sour mood was starting to get on his nerves. He was seriously starting to consider starting to hang out with Morro just to spite him, Kai was already furious that Nya, Cole, and Zane seemed to be warming up to him. 

Jay was really just tired of all of it. 

He felt like he hadn’t slept in a month, and the morbid atmosphere just  _ clung _ to the air. He’d tried to lighten the mood countless times, but everyone was just so stubbornly down in the dumps and tense, except for pretty much Lloyd who was too tired to really notice the way Kai tensed whenever he sat next to Morro. Part of him had thought that everything would just be instantly better after they defeated the villain and got Lloyd back. He probably should have known better. 

It was never that easy. 

Jay rubbed his face stressfully, giving a groan and letting his head fall back against the couch. 

Video games weren’t really vibin’ with him either. Which was  _ travesty _ because he  _ loved _ video games. How bad was he feeling that he couldn’t even let his favourite games distract him? 

He dropped the controller on the couch next to him and sunk down, slumped,, so he was sprawled in an awkward sitting position, so far down that his chin was jammed into his chest, making it hard to breathe. Hardly comfortable but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

The others were already headed to bed, so that meant he couldn’t do a two-player game, but he really wasn’t ready to sleep yet--wasn’t sure if he even  _ wanted _ to be asleep. He’d probably be woken up by a nightmare after an hour or so anyways; whether it was his own or one of the other’s was of equal probability. 

He grunted, and slid the rest of the way off the couch and onto the floor. 

He sat there for a minute, head tilted back onto the cushion, before sighing and pushing himself to his feet. He decided that a crunchy snack would be nice right about then, so he made his way to the kitchen. 

Rooting through the cupboards took a hot second, they were pretty much empty at this point. He’d be glad when they got back to ninjago sometime in the next few days so they could get back on  _ the bounty  _ and restock up on snacks and actual food. 

And maybe get a burger and fries; he missed fast food. 

He kicked the fridge door closed behind him as he left, it having been disappointingly sparse, and headed back to the lounge with some plain chips and dill flavoured dipping sauce. Not his favourite, but it was better than nothing. 

He reached the door and abruptly halted when he spotted Morro pacing in the lounge. 

He didn’t think he’d ever actually been in a room alone with the guy and felt vaguely nervous at the prospect. He considered turning around and fleeing back to the kitchen until he left, but then Morro walked straight into a wall, and Jay froze. 

Morro… just walked straight into a wall. 

No hesitation, no falter in his pacing or looking away from it until his face came into contact with the surface of the wall and he bounced off of it, stumbling backwards from the impact. 

Jay jerked back, eyes blowing wide open, and he stared as Morro cursed something fierce, hand pressed against his face, the ex-ghost giving the wall a nasty look. 

He’d just--

Had he really just--? 

The laugh startled Morro just as much as it did Jay, tearing out of his chest without any warning and he dropped the chip dip and chips to slap his hands across his mouth. At Morro’s wide eyed, startled look, he gave up trying to muffle his laughter and just bent over double, clutching his stomach and cackling hysterically. 

“Oh my gods,” Jay wheezed with laughter. “Did you seriously--did you seriously just walk into the--?” He gave up what he was trying to say, just descending into laughter again, wheezing and gasping. 

“I’m not used to having a body!” Morro tried to protest defensively, which only made it funnier and he laughed even harder. 

“Okay,” he finally said, once he had caught his breath and his laughter had died down a little. He wiped his eyes, still giggling a little. “Okay, I’m done hating you now. That was  _ incredible _ .” 

He stooped down, still laughing a little to scoop up the chips and dip and straightened up, shooting Morro a grin. “Wanna play video games?” 

Morro stared at him wide-eyed, looking completely taken-aback. “What?” 

“Video games,” Jay repeated, heading over to the couch. 

“I…” Morro glanced at the doorway, looking very much like he might bolt. “I don’t know what that is.” 

Jay stopped and gaped at him, horrified. “What do you mean you don’t know what they are?!” He shook his head in outrage then stormed forward, grabbing Morro’s wrist. “Come on, I’m about to change your  _ life _ .” 

Morro let him drag him over to the couch and Jay plopped down, pulling him down next to him, dropping the chips and dip in the space between them and scrambled for the second pair of controllers before shoving them into his hands. 

“Video games, my dear pupil,” Jay said sagely, “--are one of men’s greatest creations.” He paused to give Morro another grin, which wasn’t returned with anything more than a wide-eyed, enormously confused expression, but he didn’t let it faze him. “It might be a little chaotic and confusing at first, but I promise it’ll be fun once you get the hang of it.” 

Morro was glancing between him and the controller in his hands, looking uncomfortably out of place and endlessly confused. He was also holding said controller upside down and Jay reached over to correct his hold. Morro let him, though he flinched a little when he first reached over. Jay figured that was his fault since he’d moved a little quickly and made an effort to go a little slower so as not to startle him again. 

“Cool!” he exclaimed, once that was settled. He settled into a comfortable position on the couch and exited his paused game, heading to the menu to start a new one and get Morro a character. “Alright, let’s do this!” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_____________

  
  
  
  


Morro actually ended up falling asleep mid-game. 

It was a testament to how bad he was at it that Jay didn’t actually notice he’d passed out until the round had ended and he’d turned to him to make a comment only to find him slumped back against the couch, chin tucked against his chest and completely unconscious. 

He pressed his hand against his mouth to muffle his laugh so he wouldn’t wake him up then shook his head, smiling amusedly. The guy must’ve been tired. 

He slipped the controller out of Morro’s limp hands and placed it on the small table that sat next to him beside the couch alongside his own controller. A glance at the clock hanging on the wall told him that it was almost three in the morning, and he decided it was probably a good idea to at least get a little sleep. They’d be reaching Ninjago in the next day or so, and there’d probably be a bit of work to do before they could actually relax, so he needed to make sure he had at least a little energy.

He grabbed the, now empty, bag of chips and chip dip container, making an effort not to make too much noise, which was nothing but a wishful thought the moment he laid hands on the chip bag, but Morro was pretty dead to the world, and, somehow, the aggressive crinkling didn’t wake him up. 

Jay headed to the kitchen and dumped the items in the trash before returning to the room and grabbing the blanket that was draped over the chair in the corner, making his way back to Morro and throwing it over him. It got pretty cold at night in the lounge; wouldn’t want him freezing to death. 

He turned off the T.V but left the lamps lining the walls lit, just in case. Personally, he hated waking up in the dark. 

He paused for a moment, glancing at Morro. 

The guy was still in the extremely uncomfortable looking position. His neck would probably be killing him when he woke up if he left him like that. 

He mulled it over for a minute before shrugging and leaning over to shove him over so that he was laying across the couch on his side, face smushed into the cushions. He also pushed him further back onto the couch to make sure he didn’t fall off by accident. Falling off things really sucked. 

Morro slept through that too, miraculously enough, and Jay huffed a laugh. Boy, this guy slept more like a rock than Cole used to. The thought made his smile falter but he shook his head and pushed the feeling aside. 

He readjusted the blanket, then straightened up, giving an approving nod after surveying his work, then turned and headed to the bunks. 

  
  
  
  
  


__________

  
  
  
  
  


Morro’s nightmare didn’t last long when he woke up, the bright lights making his eyes burn a little when he blinked them open, and they pulled him forcefully back to reality. 

He wasn’t cold like he was expecting and nothing ached like it usually did when he slept on the couch either, which was unexpected. He glanced up blearily then let his head drop back down on the cushions, burying his face into a slightly scratchy… blanket… 

He blinked at the fabric, looking at it with furrowed brows for a moment.

Weird. 

He pushed himself up off the couch so he could sit up and watched the blanket slip off him and pool onto the floor. 

He was sure he hadn’t grabbed that. Then again, he was pretty sure he hadn’t fallen asleep either, but he knew that was wrong. He must’ve passed out mid-game with… 

Oh. 

He looked at the blanket again, not really sure what to think. 

After a moment he rubbed his eyes and slid off the couch to stand up on his feet, wobbling for a moment before steadying himself. 

His throat was nearly as scratchy as the blanket so he made his way to the kitchen, feet scuffing against the floor a little heavily and he shook his head a little to try and wake himself up more so he could step a little quieter.

A water bottle was set on the edge of the counter like there’d been the last few days since Zane had stopped by his room the first time. He only hesitated a little before picking it up. 

Then he just stood there holding it for a while. 

He sighed, leaning back against the cupboards and sliding down, ignoring the painful ache from where the cupboard handles jammed into his back until he was sitting on the cold floor, bottle held in his hands.

Eventually he managed to make himself unscrew the lid but his hands started shaking so badly and his lungs tightened enough that he was starting to have trouble breathing, so he had to set it aside and breathe for a few minutes.

He did get a couple sips in eventually though. It was almost starting to get lighter outside by the time he did though, and the whole lower half of his body had fallen asleep. 

Pins and needles were decidedly painful and overwhelming. 

He placed the water bottle back on the counter, and left the kitchen, brain no less fuzzy than when he’d entered, but at least his throat wasn’t as scratchy. 

He headed back to his room, taking a quick detour to fold the blanket Jay had left him and put out the lamp lights. 

The waves on the side of the ferry were unnaturally loud and made his shoulders tense and panic prickle at the back of his neck. The sound of his own breathing was loud too, and grated on his ears. He clenched his teeth and walked a little faster. 

He was too absorbed in the overwhelming loud-quiet that he didn’t notice someone else in the hall until he nearly tripped over them. 

He stumbled slightly to avoid them and they flinched back away from him hard enough that their back hit the wall with a dull thud. 

Morro’s eyes widened when they landed on green and Lloyd looked up at him from his spot on the floor with wide eyes. His chest was heaving and there were tear tracks on his face and a flicker of panic in his eyes that came along with the panic attacks that had grown so familiar. 

They stared at each other for a long tense moment. 

Morro turned and started forward again, heart pounding his chest, intent on getting as far away as possible as fast as he could, but a hand caught his wrist keeping him from fleeing. 

“Stay,” Lloyd demanded, breathing laboured. 

Morro looked at him pained. Lloyd wouldn’t look away from him in spite of his trembling and Morro felt pinned under his determined gaze. 

“Lloyd...” Morro said, pleadingly. 

“I said  _ stay _ ,” Lloyd growled, his grip tightening. He glared at him, as though daring him to argue again, hand shaking where it gripped his wrist, his breathing uneven, but he still wouldn’t look away, and he wouldn’t let go. Morro had a feeling there might be something more going on, but he didn’t really have a right to ask. 

He swallowed dryly, heart lodged in his throat, hating the fear in his eyes behind the determination. Hating that he was the one to put it there. 

“Okay,” he finally whispered. 

Lloyd’s shoulders relaxed a little, but the tension didn’t really release until Morro was sitting next to him, and he exchanged his grip around his wrist to intertwine their fingers like he thought he might try and run away if he let go. 

He wasn’t exactly wrong about that. 

Lloyd made an effort to stabilize his breathing, taking measured inhales through his nose and exhales through his mouth. 

Morro squeezed his eyes shut as Lloyd trembled harder, fingers squeezing his tight enough to hurt. 

He felt a pressure against his side and opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to see Lloyd pressing his face into his shoulder and leaning against him, eyes squeezed shut stubbornly as he breathed heavily. 

Morro could only sit there and let him try to calm himself down. He couldn’t exactly help. Even the sound of his voice could send him further into panic, so he kept his mouth firmly shut in a grimace, and kept his hand limp in Lloyd’s near-crushing grip. 

They sat like that for a while until Lloyd’s trembling started to fade a little and his breathing evened out. 

“Sorry,” he croaked quietly. “I just… I don’t want to--” 

“It’s okay,” Morro said, even quieter, unable to ignore the way Lloyd’s body tensed at the sound of his voice, breathing spiking before he seemed to catch himself and forced himself to relax. 

Morro shut his mouth firmly again. 

Lloyd breathed, face hidden in his shoulder. 

“Lloyd?” 

Morro’s eyes flicked up to see Kai standing a few feet away, having just come around the corner. 

“Hey,” Lloyd croaked with a feeble smile. 

Kai rushed forward and dropped to his knees in front of them, hand coming to rest on Lloyd’s upper arm comfortingly. His eyes flicked over to Morro and his expression hardened into something dangerous. There were threatening sparks in his eyes, promising that he would tear him limb from limb for making Lloyd cry. 

Morro dropped his eyes to stare at the floor. 

“Kai,” Lloyd said, forcing him to draw his gaze away from Morro and look at him, his voice hard. “Stop.” He quieted. “I asked him to stay.” 

Kai glanced at Morro, eyes burning into the side of his face but then forced his eyes over to Lloyd, with seemingly great difficulty, not before shooting him one more dark look. 

Morro couldn’t bring himself to really feel anything, exhaustion suddenly catching up with him and weighing down on every part of him as Kai and Lloyd murmured in conversation with one another, Kai’s reassuring words slowly making Lloyd relax and his grip on Morro’s hand become less crushing. 

Nya, Cole, Zane and even Jay now had seemingly all warmed up to him somehow, for reasons Morro couldn’t understand. But Kai was nowhere near close to forgiving him, let alone trusting him. Just like the rest of them should have been.

Lloyd leaned against his side a little heavier and Morro could feel Kai’s disapproving burning gaze on him, but he kept his eyes forward, blinking every once in a while to keep himself from dozing off. 

Kai’s hate was nothing he didn’t deserve. He almost wished the fire ninja would simply scoop Lloyd up and carry him back to their shared bunks and away from him so he couldn’t hurt him anymore, but Lloyd seemed determined to remain at his side if the firm grip of his hand was anything to go by. 

Morro kept his breathing steady and remained unmoving, trying not to tense every time an especially loud wave hit the side of the ship. 

The three of them sat in the hallway, Lloyd sitting between them, Morro on his right and Kai on his left--his presence probably the only thing keeping Kai from straight up murdering Morro--until the sun started to filter through the windows and the sounds of the others waking up reached their ears. 

Kai stood up, brushing some dust from his pants and pulled Lloyd to his feet as well, and Lloyd turned and held out his hand to Morro as an offer of help, mirroring Kai’s movement. 

Morro’s eyes flicked to Kai who was just looking at him, arms crossed across his chest, expression cold. He hesitated for a moment before accepting the help and letting Lloyd pull him to his feet. 

Lloyd offered him a wry smile. “Thanks.” 

Morro nodded slowly, once, not knowing what he was thanking him for. 

Kai scoffed and Lloyd smacked his arm. 

Morro breathed. 

  
  
  


____________

  
  
  
  
  


Jay plopped down next to him when he came to eat breakfast after the others had left, and Morro added him to the list of people that he didn’t understand in the slightest. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't tell me Morro wouldn't walk into walls on a regular basis after getting a physical body again. 
> 
> Anyway, next up on "There's Always Tomorro:" I ignore canon yet again-- 
> 
> MAKE SURE YOU GET SOME SLEEP SOMETIME TODAY Y'ALL KSMOFAWEF <333 (and, as always, CONSUME SOME WATER ALKSDMFAWOEIF <3)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja make it home, Morro gets a room, Kai's not interested in trusting him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, this is where ignoring canon comes in again. I'm pretty sure the bounty was destroyed but I'm completely ignoring that because I want the ship in the fic so it's in the fic SLSLKFMAOEFW

They reached Ninjago the next morning, and things were both impossibly slow moving and too fast to keep up with at once. 

The ninja handled most of everything, Morro lingering nearby, feeling a little useless and awkward, not sure how to help, or even if they wanted him to. The docks were pretty crowded and he found himself flinching every time someone walked past, cursing his own jumpiness. 

Nya eventually took pity on him and put him in charge of clearing out the last of their things from the ferry. There wasn’t much, just a few pieces of garbage, a blanket, an abandoned piece of deepstone armour that might’ve been Cole’s, and a pink sock that no one could possibly guess where it had come from, but it gave him something to do other than be in their way, and took him away from the small crowd on the docks, so it was fine. 

Lloyd grabbed his hand and took him for a tour of  _ the Destiny’s Bounty _ \--their home--once they were finished, while the other ninja and Wu and Misako dealt with selling the ferry and going grocery shopping and running any other errands that needed to be taken care of. 

Morro made sure to note exactly where the ninja’s bunks were so he could avoid them during the night. 

After the brief but fairly lengthy tour--it was a rather big ship, nice, warm, a little overwhelming compared to the small ferry he’d grown used to, Morro liked it--the two of them set about clearing out the kitchen of any… well, Morro wasn’t even sure if it could be counted as  _ food _ anymore. Even the box of crackers was so stale they could literally smell it when it had been opened to check. Lloyd mentioned probably needing to do a garbage run after the others got back. 

Zane, Cole and Jay got back first with the groceries. 

Morro ended up standing by awkwardly again while they unloaded everything in well practiced motions, knowing exactly where everything went, alternating between comfortable silences and quiet chatter. Nobody seemed to have a lot of energy, but they all looked a lot happier to be home.

Zane recruited him to assist with making food. Three o’clock was a little late for lunch and a little early for supper, but they were all hungry, so it didn’t matter. 

Morro stared at the cup of water that Nya had placed in front of him for a long time before giving up and just eating his bowl of plain rice quietly at the edge of the table, sandwiched between Zane and Lloyd. Taste was still a little overwhelming, so, “bland” things, as Cole had put it, were the easiest to handle. 

Helping with dishes was out of the question. Morro actually had to look away from the sink several times and the sound of the tap running was almost enough to get  _ him _ running. 

Not that anyone tried to get him to help. Lloyd just led him out of the room so they could set up a place for him to stay. 

What ended up happening was that he got Nya’s old room. She had moved all of her stuff into the bunks the moment she, Kai, Wu, and Misako had returned from whatever they’d been doing, so the room was empty now, and the most obvious choice for where he’d be staying. 

Lloyd grabbed him some spare blankets from the closet down the hall and dumped them on the bed in a heap. They spent the next little while shaking the spiders out of them and making sure they were actually usable. 

Lloyd was literally swaying on his feet by the time they were done, scrubbing at his eyes which refused to stay open. He hadn’t exactly gotten enough that night. 

“You should get some sleep,” Morro suggested quietly. 

Lloyd looked up at him, blearily for a moment before inhaling and rubbing his eyes again with a yawn. “Yeah,” he managed after. “That’s probably a good idea.” 

He lingered for a moment and Morro yawned. 

Lloyd laughed, smiling sleepily. “You should sleep too.” 

Morro hummed noncommittally. 

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Lloyd said, hesitating. 

“Yeah,” Morro said, rubbing his eyes. “Okay.” 

Lloyd offered him a smile, which he returned feebly before he stumbled out of the room to find his friends and take a nap. 

Morro watched the empty hallway through the open door for a moment before stepping forward and closing it quietly. He padded across the floor back to the bed and flopped down on it, face smushing into the musty unamilar smelling blankets; everything had a smell now that he had a physical body again. 

What now? 

He hadn’t even thought about that. 

What was he supposed to do? 

He couldn’t stay with the ninja forever. 

He shut his eyes tightly against the overwhelming feeling that came with the thought of living again, and all that came with it. Things were different now, he wasn’t sure if he even knew _ how _ to live. 

Part of him wanted to go find Wu and talk about it, but he shoved that feeling away. Aside from apologizing, he really didn’t know what to say to his old mentor. There was still a wall between them that he wasn’t sure where to even begin breaking through, or even if he should. 

He rolled onto his side and stared blankly at the wall until his eyes grew too heavy to keep open, his worries weighing on him until he was pushed under into sleep. 

  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  
  


Kai did not like Morro. 

He didn’t like him, didn’t trust him, and didn’t want him in his home, or anywhere near his family. 

The others had tried to talk to him several times about his “problem” with Morro, but he shut them down immediately every time they brought it up. He didn’t  _ care _ about how bad the guy’s nightmares were or if he was afraid of water like Kai was; he really wished Nya would stop pointing out things they had in common; sharing a fear didn’t mean they were at all similar, and it certainly didn’t mean he needed to  _ like  _ the guy, or even tolerate him and his greasy-haired emo-attitude. 

Morro was dangerous, and with everyone else buying into his “helpless sleep-deprived idiot” act, it was up to Kai to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t have the chance to hurt anyone again. 

He wasn’t so close minded that he hadn’t considered Lloyd’s claims about Morro in the last few weeks. He just wasn’t an idiot. Trusting him so quickly after everything seemed like a mistake, one that could result in really bad damage to everyone he cared about. No, Kai did not like the guy. And he wasn’t going to change his mind about it. 

No matter how dark the circles under Morro’s eyes got, or how much he flinched whenever someone turned the tap on. 

His plan had been to keep a close eye on Morro, but Lloyd had gotten annoyed with his constant glaring and told him to go take a walk, which Kai decided not to do just to spite him, and instead steered himself to the training room to vent some of his frustrations. 

He didn’t feel at all good about leaving Lloyd alone with Morro. His instincts screamed at him to go check on them, or maybe it was just paranoia. He really couldn’t afford to question it either way. 

He rammed away at the punching bag, fists making thumping sounds with every impact against the surface. 

According to Lloyd, Morro had been under the Preeminent’s control the entire time, and with her dead, it meant that he was no longer subjected to that and was in full control of himself, and that the last thing he wanted to do was hurt any of them. 

It was an almost believable story; one that Kai might ordinarily buy into, or at least give some consideration towards. The only difference with this one, was the fact that the person they were asking him to consider trusting had literally stolen his little brother. Morro had possessed him and hurt him and put him through things Lloyd couldn’t even begin to talk about without crying. So no. He wasn’t interested in giving him a chance. 

Besides, the others seemed to be doing just fine with welcoming him into their group without him. 

He gave an especially hard punch at that though, anger sparking in him. 

He still couldn’t believe they’d just start talking to him like he was part of their family after everything. It hadn’t even been a full month since the Preeminent and Jay was playing video games with him; Lloyd had been showing him comics; Zane kept bringing him food; Cole was completely chill around him. 

Kai growled, slamming his fists into the punching bag angrily. 

He’d even woken up one night to find Nya sitting with him in the kitchen. 

It was like they’d all completely forgotten that Morro was the one who was responsible for the way Lloyd would wake up in the middle of the night in mid-panic attack. 

_ It wasn’t him, Kai. _

He scoffed. Sure, if they wanted to believe that. 

He gave a final punch then paused his assault to breathe, chest heaving and sweating. He wiped his wrapped hand across his damp forehead as he caught his breath, frown still on his face. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Lloyd. He did. He trusted him with his life, but… his little brother could be too trusting sometimes, and it worried Kai. Not everyone was willing to change like Lloyd wanted to believe. There were some people that were just rotten and were fine with staying that way. Their experience with Sensei Garmadon had been unique, not everyone was willing to turn their entire lives around, especially not after being defeated. 

Also, Garmadon kinda got a partial pass because the whole reason he went bad was due to something mostly out of his control; evil snake and everything. 

Sure, if what Lloyd thought had happened was true, that meant Morro was in a very similar situation but…

Well, he couldn’t be sure. And if he couldn’t be completely sure, then he couldn’t let it go. 

He sighed dropping down to sit on the matted floor before reaching for his water bottle. He paused unscrewing the lid and just held it in his hands for a moment, staring at the liquid inside. 

If the others wanted to believe him he would let them; he wouldn’t try to convince them otherwise. They were all tired after the last few months, and he didn’t want to add more stress to their plate. They needed to relax and not worry about anything for a little while. They deserved a break.

He could handle the Morro situation himself; keep an eye on him from a distance and watch him, make sure nothing happened, step in and deal with it if something did. 

He would tolerate his presence for now. 

He took a gulp of water, letting the cool feeling sooth the heat in his core a little, wiping his mouth after he finished, and looked around the empty training room.

Footsteps reached his ears and he glanced behind him to see Morro passing by the open door. 

He froze at the doorway, eyes wide when they landed on him like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have, and Kai narrowed his eyes at him. Morro tore his eyes away, dropping them to the ground before he continued down the hallway at a significantly faster speed, shoulders tense. 

Kai snorted at his speedy exit, smirk twitching at his lips. 

Seemed like he felt uneasy around him. 

Good. 

The literal last thing he wanted was for Morro to feel comfortable. 

He wouldn’t try anything if he was uneasy. 

  
  
  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  


Kai noticed it during their second week home. 

The nightmares were getting a little less frequent, they were all sleeping a little more, he wasn’t jumping at every small creak on the ship. Things had settled back into an almost normal routine for them after Wu had announced they would be starting up training again. 

Morro mainly lingered at the edge of the room next to Wu and sometimes Misako, if she felt like watching them throw each other around. He was either shifting uncomfortably or sitting so stiffly that Kai was surprised his spine didn’t snap from the pressure. He almost seemed more uncomfortable around Wu than him, which was saying something. 

He watched the two of them out of the corner of his eye during training, but they never talked, just sitting cross legged a few feet or so between them. 

It was weird, but Kai had almost thought Wu would have been closest to Morro after everything. He had sure seemed pretty relieved to see him not-dead if the hug and crying was anything to go by; Kai had never actually seen their Sensei cry before that. 

He grimaced from where he landed on his back after Nya had swept his feet out from beneath him, and groaned letting his head thump back against the mat. 

“You might actually last longer if you stopped side-eyeing him, dude,” she said flatly, raising an eyebrow. She offered him her hand to help him up. 

He scowled at her but accepted the offer of help and let her pull him to his feet. 

“Apparently I’d rather let you wipe the floor with me then leave the ex-villain unsupervised,” he said sarcastically, giving her a look. 

She scoffed. “You’re not letting me, I’d take you down even if you weren’t so stubbornly distracted.” She raised her hands, squaring up into a fighting stance, which he dropped down to mirror. 

“I don’t have to trust him just because you all seem to,” he told her as she threw a punch. He blocked it, grabbing her arm before she could pull it back and attempting to twist it around into a locked position, but she slipped out of it effortlessly, hooking her arm around him and sending him tumbling to the floor. 

“I don’t  _ trust _ him,” Nya said, brushing her hair out of her face as he rolled to his feet. “Not completely, anyway… But I’m not going to be a jerk while I figure it out.” 

“I’m not being a jerk,” he snapped, launching himself at her. “I’m being careful.” 

She caught him, twisting her grip to keep him from pushing her over. “Right,  _ you _ , careful,” she said, rolling her eyes. She hooked her leg around his and brought them both down to the floor. 

“Sorry if I can’t immediately be okay with someone I don’t trust getting so close to my family,” Kai snapped back, wrapping his legs around her waist to keep her from getting up. 

She aimed a punch for his face, which he blocked and then they were rolling over and breaking apart, springing to their feet. 

His eyes flicked across the room to where Morro and Wu were sitting and found his face pressed into the mat the next second, Nay pinning him. 

He struggled for a moment but then let himself go limp with a frustrated huff. 

“You aren’t at least willing to think about it?” she asked, not releasing him. 

He scowled at her the best he could from his position. “I have.” 

“I don’t think you did,” she said, still keeping his arms locked firmly behind his back. 

“Just because I didn’t reach the same conclusion as you, doesn’t mean I didn’t think about it,” Kai snapped. 

Nya frowned. “What makes him so different from Garmadon? You seemed fine with him pretty fast.” 

Kai struggled for a moment but she kept him pinned and he growled. “It’s nothing like Garmadon, Nya.” 

“It is a little bit.” 

“Garmadon never actually hurt Lloyd, Nya,” Kai growled. “Morro did.” 

“The Preeminent did,” Nya corrected. 

Kai twisted his arm around enough to grab her wrist and yanked her off balance so he could escape and reverse their positions, pinning her to the mat with an  _ oof _ from her. 

She looked genuinely surprised at that and he usually would have felt a stab of satisfaction, but this time just pushed himself off her. 

“If that’s what you wanna believe.” 

“Lloyd wouldn’t lie about this,” Nya said, getting to her feet. 

“He's not the one I’m worried about lying,” Kai muttered, glancing at Morro out of the corner of his eye as he started to unwrap his hands. 

She dropped the subject, seemingly sensing there wasn’t really any point in trying to convince him otherwise. 

Kai felt Morro’s eyes on him as he headed to the door and turned his head to channel his frustrations into a withering glare at him. 

Morro just seemed to accept the look and dropped his eyes to the mats, shoulders sagging slightly. 

Or maybe relaxing. 

Kai’s eyes narrowed, and his steps faltered for a moment, but he continued out of the room. 

Weird. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm going to write one chapter for each of the ninja
> 
> Kai: 
> 
> Me: 
> 
> Kai: 
> 
> Me: Oh no 
> 
> Might take this stubbornly protective dude a hot second to warm up to the guy skskldfmaoiwef Buckle up this'll be a long couple of chapters ksskmfaowiefmsldf 
> 
> DRINK SOME WATER, CONSUME A SNACK, I LOVE YOU ALL, *throws aggressively good vibes at you*


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morro's acting weird and Kai doesn't care about why.

The second time he noticed it, it was a bit more obvious. 

He entered the kitchen to find Morro and Lloyd sitting at the table. He immediately felt his face twitch, and didn’t bother to hide his look of distaste at the situation. Lloyd was quietly reading, and Morro was just sitting next to him, watching the pages turn. Kai wasn’t sure how Lloyd could stand someone reading over his shoulder like that, it always drove him crazy when Jay--

Ugh, not the point. 

Morro and Lloyd were alone in the same room, and Kai was trying not to let his trigger happy fingers spark threateningly. 

Morro noticed him first, glancing up and blinking when his eyes landed on him. He didn’t recoil or look scared or make any sort of expression with his face, and Kai glared at him before heading to the fridge. 

“Hey, Lloyd,” he said, on his way past the table, blatantly not greeting Morro. 

“Hey, Kai,” Lloyd said, looking up with a smile on his face. He was looking a lot better, the circles under his eyes not so dark and the colour gradually coming back to his cheeks. The right amount of sleep and good food were doing their job. 

Kai returned his smile, relaxing slightly, then opened the fridge to root around for a snack. He eventually settled on the last of the strawberries and a soda. He would have gone for the ice cream, but Zane was saving it for something and didn’t want them touching it, and Kai certainly wasn’t going to be the one to face his wrath if there was a scoop missing. 

He turned around, strawberry container and can of pop in his hands, closing the fridge door behind him with his foot, looking over to Lloyd, intending to ask him if he wanted any of the remaining strawberries but the question was startled out of his mind when his eyes landed on Morro, who was passed out, slumped over the table. 

He blinked. 

He couldn’t have been going through the fridge for more than ten seconds. He wasn’t actually out, was he? 

“That’s weird,” Lloyd said quietly, looking down at Morro with a frown. “I’ve been trying to get him to fall asleep for hours. How’d he manage it when you’re in here?” 

“I’m not that bad,” Kai grumbled, coming over to sit down on the other side of the table, with a wary look at their unconscious guest. 

“If looks could kill he would have died three times this morning alone, Kai,” Lloyd said, giving him a flat look.

“Not gonna apologize,” Kai told him, shoving a strawberry into his mouth. 

Lloyd sighed, eyes dropping back down to his book, and they sat in silence for a moment. 

“He’s not that bad you know,” he said. 

Kai swallowed the strawberry and scowled, not bothering to answer, or look at what he knew would be a sad look coming from Lloyd. He popped open the soda can and took a loud slurp. 

“You could at least let him sleep,” Lloyd said, looking truly annoyed now. 

“He’s fine,” Kai said, nabbing another strawberry. He gestured at the still very much unconscious Morro. “Look, see? Sleeping like a rock.” He really was. 

Lloyd glanced at him, brows furrowed and a small frown on his face, before looking back at Kai. “Just, please? Try to be a little more quiet.” 

“Fine,” Kai huffed, shoving the strawberry in his mouth. He regretted it immediately after since the sugary drink had completely cancelled out the sugar of the strawberries and left him with a strange, extremely tart taste that made his whole face screw up and he cursed himself for doing such a thing. 

Lloyd laughed at him. 

“Who’s being loud now?” Kai smirked, flicking a strawberry leaf at him. 

“Still you,” Lloyd said, sticking out his tongue. 

Kai laughed. 

  
  
  
  


Morro woke up a good while later, having slept through even Cole rooting through the fridge, and Kai couldn’t ignore the way he seemed to tense when he saw Lloyd, eyes darting around until they landed on him, then all the tension seemed to release from his shoulders and he let his head drop back against the table. 

Kai stared at him. 

Lloyd hadn’t seemed to notice, and nudged him with his elbow. “How was your nap?” 

“Fine,” came his quiet, muffled, croaky reply. 

Kai almost got whiplash. He’d forgotten what he sounded like without the echo-y quality that came with being a ghost. Come to think of it, he really hadn’t actually heard Morro talk at all since he’d first arrived. It was almost strange to hear him; he sounded so human. 

Kai swallowed, and then hardened his expression, pressing his mouth into a thin line. Human or no, he was still dangerous. 

~~(He sure didn’t look dangerous)~~

He stood up, gathering up the remains of his snacks, heading over to the garbage and recycling to dispose of them, loudly, just to see the way he jumped, and refused to feel guilty about it, even when Lloyd sent him a withering glare, and when Zane looked at him disapprovingly as he entered the kitchen. 

“That was rude,” he said. 

“Awesome. Guess it came across right then,” Kai said, brushing past him. 

Zane caught his arm, stopping him. “You are being callous,” he said quietly, probably making an effort not to call him out directly in front of the two sitting at the table, he pinned him in place with his bright blue eyes. “I understand you not trusting him, but please do not be unnecessarily cruel. We do not take enjoyment from the suffering of others.” 

Kai held his gaze for a few seconds, but it was pretty impossible to win a staring contest with Zane, so he looked away, face twitching with annoyance. “Fine,” he said grudgingly. 

“Supper is in an hour,” Zane said, releasing him. 

“Thanks for the info,” Kai said, giving him a lazy salute without looking back as he left the room. 

He could feel Morro’s eyes on him as he went, and resisted the urge to shoot him a glare. 

He didn’t owe him politeness, but he could admit startling him like that had been a pretty crappy move. It was his first time really doing something other than glare at the guy, but yeah. It was a little meaner than he usually was, Zane was right about that. 

He sighed, rubbing his face as he padded down the hall of _the bounty_.

He didn’t hate him. Not completely. But he didn’t need to become best friends with the dude just because everyone else was. 

Whatever. 

He had more important things to focus on anyways, like looking after Lloyd; he didn’t need Morro’s presence distracting him from that mission. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  


Morro almost seemed to get more tense as time wore on. 

Kai almost wanted to laugh at how genuinely uncomfortable he was looking. The other’s didn’t really seem to notice, maybe because they were used to him being tense around them, but Kai swore he saw the guy literally running to avoid Zane one afternoon. 

It was almost like he was uncomfortable _because_ they were being nice to him, and he had to laugh at that ludicrous thought. 

Until he thought about it more. 

It would explain why he seemed to relax everytime Kai walked into the room, and why he always seemed to tense when he was with any of the others. 

Kai found himself watching him a little closer to try and see if there was any truth to his theory. 

Lloyd would always plop down right next to Morro, seeming determined to prove to him that he wasn’t at all scared of him, and Kai watched as he tensed every time he did so, looking almost torn and guilty. 

Jay shared his snacks and Morro looked like he would rather run from the room than accept. 

He still wasn’t sure until he disappeared one day. The others were scrambling around searching for him, and Kai just happened to spot him when he was above deck. The guy was literally hiding in the crows nest. 

Kai let him be and headed back below-decks to tell the team to chill out and that he was fine. They didn’t seem to believe him at first, and he was pretty sure Jay’s suspicious look that he sent him meant he thought he might have thrown him over the side of the ship. 

“He’ll come back when he wants to,” Kai said dismissively. “It’s not like he has anywhere else to go. You all could use a break from babysitting anyways.” 

He wasn’t sure why he didn’t tell them where he was. He just knew if he did Lloyd wouldn’t hesitate to go join him up in the crows nest, and Morro had clearly done it for a moment alone. Besides, he didn’t want him throwing Lloyd out of said crows nest. 

Yeah, that was the reason. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_________________

  
  
  
  


Somehow they ended up sitting next to each other on the couch. 

Lloyd had been between them while they watched the movie but had gotten up to find some snacks and left them alone on the couch together, not before leaving with a pointed look at Kai, clearly telling him to behave, which Kai just feigned offence at. There was still at least a foot or two of space between them, but other than empty space there was nothing actually separating them. 

Morro was extremely tense for the first few minutes while they waited for Lloyd to come back. 

Kai wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He already didn’t like the guy being on the ship in general. Sitting next to him was just… weird. He decided the safest course of action was to simply ignore him and turned his attention to the T.V. 

He had almost completely successfully diverted his attention from Morro when there was a sudden weight against his shoulder and he jerked away from it, heart leaping to his throat and hands snapping up, ready to punch whatever had just touched his shoulder. Only shock kept him from reflexively lashing out. 

Morro’s head rested against his shoulder, completely unconscious and Kai recoiled, face screwing up in desturbed disgust. 

What the _heck--_

He was leaning away from him, but Morro was just… out, and had absolutely no reaction to their current position. 

Kai stared at him, unsure of whether he should punch him, or throw him off the couch. 

The instant Lloyd had left, he’d just… passed out, almost like he couldn’t fall asleep around him. 

But he could fall asleep around Kai? 

Kai had been in some confusing situations, but he could safely say that right then, he had never been so confused in his life. 

Shock having finally worn off, he promptly planted his hand on the side of his greasy head and shoved him off. 

Morro went without any sort of resistance until his head hit the armrest on the other side of the couch and he jerked awake. Kai couldn’t even feel guilty for waking him since he was so completely unsettled by the whole situation. 

He looked so genuinely confused, rubbing his eyes and Kai didn’t really have time to even think about how to react because Lloyd was back and plopping down between them and then it was like nothing had happened.

Nobody else had seen it. Just Kai. 

And he had no idea what he was going to do with the information he now possessed. 

  
  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  
  


He couldn’t just outright ask about Morro. That would just be weird, and the others might get the wrong idea that he was warming up to the guy or something, so he just kind of… listened. 

_Eavesdropped_ , Nya would have smirked, but she didn’t know, so Kai ignored the thought. And it wasn’t really eavesdropping. They were speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, so he wasn’t spying by just listening to what was already being projected. 

He learned a few things pretty quickly, some of which he already knew. 

1\. Morro was afraid of water. (He knew that.) 

2\. Morro had panic attacks when he tried to drink anything. (He didn’t know that.)

3\. Morro pretty much didn’t sleep _ever_ , and had been sleeping even less lately due to his nightmares increasing and apparently getting worse. (Explained why he was looking even more like death the past week.)

4\. Morro was actually pretty good at video games. (Not important, but it was something he knew now thanks to Jay loudly broadcasting about the nights they spent playing.) 

5\. Morro had apparently used to fall asleep around them all but hadn’t at all lately. (But had around Kai? The more he heard the more confused he got.) 

6\. Morro liked bland foods. (Probably because he wasn’t used to taste--but that didn’t matter so whatever.) 

7\. Morro was avoiding everyone. 

He wasn’t sure if Morro himself knew that the others had noticed the last bit. 

“I’m not sure what we did wrong,” Zane confessed to Lloyd one evening while Morro was up in the crows nest (not that they knew that. Kai had just seen him headed in that direction and had checked so _he_ knew he was up there). Zane looked genuinely distressed and Kai almost wanted to reassure him, but they were talking about Morro, so he couldn’t really suddenly jump into the conversation without betraying that he was actually listening. 

Okay, so, maybe it was eavesdropping. 

“I think maybe he’s just overwhelmed a little,” Lloyd said. “Kinda like how I was for a bit. He was alone for a long time.” 

Overwhelmed huh? 

Yeah, that might make sense, though not in the way Lloyd was thinking. Kai was pretty sure it had more to do with being overwhelmed by their smothering than their actual presence. It was probably why he was relaxing more around him actually; Kai didn’t talk to him or poke or pry or acknowledge him in general, really. 

It made sense, or at least a little, so he accepted the conclusion that he had come to and turned his attention back to his comic book. 

Morro just needed some space and Kai’s glares usually took the attention of his friends off of him in favour of scolding him for glaring at him. That was all. 

He exhaled, sinking back against his mattress, wondering if Morro was going to let himself freeze to death up in the crows nest. 

He still didn’t tell anyone about his hiding place. 

Maybe if he left him there so he could be away from the smothering of the other’s he’d stop being weird around Kai. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_____________

  
  
  
  
  


Kai was sitting in the training room, taking a break from wailing on the punching bag again, scrolling through his phone to try and find something to do, when someone slipped into the room, drawing his attention. 

He did a double take when he registered the dark greasy hair (had he even showered _once_ since coming back from the dead?) and green hairstreak. He stared as Morro closed the door behind him silently, before turning and leaning back against it with an exhale, shoulders sagging and eyes closing, looking a little exhausted, but relieved despite the furrow in his brow. 

“Zane chasing you again?” Kai asked and Morro nearly jumped out of his skin, jerking back in alarm, eyes blowing open wide and head snapping to look at him, shoulders shooting up to his ears and hands rising into a defensive position. 

Kai just raised an eyebrow at him from where he sat cross legged on the floor in his sweaty tank top. 

He could see the moment Morro recognized him because his shoulders slumped, hands falling to his side and he closed his eyes, getting his breathing back under control from it’s rabbit fast pace from moments before. 

Kai snorted at him, smirk twitching onto his mouth. “Jumpy much? You’d almost think you were hiding.” 

Morro didn’t look at him, eyes flickering to the training room around them and on the floor--anywhere but on Kai. “I’m not… I just…” 

Kai looked up in surprise, not having expected a reply. 

Morro huffed in frustration, mouth twisting in a grimace. “I just… needed a second.” He ran his fingers through his greasy hair, eyes glancing to Kai for a moment before fastening themselves back to the floor. 

Kai looked at him warily for a minute before shrugging and looking back down at his phone. 

Morro was silent for a few moments 

“Can I stay here?” 

Kai looked up, and stared at him. 

Morro met his gaze evenly, hands curled into loose fists by his sides, but not looking at all tense like he was around the rest of them. 

“Why do you relax around me?” he asked him, instead of telling him to get lost. 

Morro blinked. “What?” 

Kai placed his phone down, turning his full attention to the person in front of him. “According to Lloyd, you don’t sleep. Except when I’m there you don’t seem to have a problem doing it.” 

Morro stared at him, looking startled. 

“Why?” Kai asked, looking at him with an edge of suspicion, eyes narrowing just slightly. Now that he’d asked, he might as well get an real answer. Assumptions could only get you so far. 

“I…” Morro looked a little lost. His brow furrowed and he broke his gaze away, hand coming up to grip at his arm, fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeve. “I don’t know how to react to the others.” 

Kai raised his eyebrow. “But you know how to react to me?” 

Morro grimaced a little. “Hating me is understandable, I still don’t know how they’re… fine with me being here. I was prepared to deal with anger if I ever got out, not… kindness.” 

Kai watched him skeptically for a moment. So… not exactly what he had guessed, but pretty close, assuming he was actually telling the truth. Seemed a weird thing to lie about, unless he was trying to get on Kai’s sympathetic side. 

“Still doesn’t explain why you pass out every time I walk into the same room,” Kai pointed out, careful to keep his expression at least somewhat hostile despite not feeling it anymore. 

Morro’s face twitched, fingers digging into his arm a little harder; it looked hard enough to hurt, then he looked up at Kai and held his gaze. “I know that if I do anything you’ll stop me.” 

That made him pause. 

Kai blinked, brows furrowing. “What?” 

“If I lose control, or if anything happens when I fall asleep, you’ll keep me from hurting anyone,” Morro told him, still not looking away, and Kai felt abruptly pinned under his gaze until Morro looked away, eyes dropping to the ground. “The others might try to reason with me, but if I’m not in control it won’t work.” He looked up again, a slight sharp determined light in his eyes that cut through the normally dull colouring. “You would stop me.” 

Kai stared at him. 

He… wasn’t wrong. Kai wouldn’t hesitate to burn him to a crisp if he so much as twitched in the wrong direction. He felt almost mildly… horrified? It wasn’t at all what he had expected. But it… matched… what the others had been saying. At the start he’d simply fall asleep almost everywhere when they all held some animosity towards him, but had been sleeping less the more the others started to warm up to him. They were all much less likely to kill him right off the bat, whereas Kai.... 

He looked away first, picking his phone back up and unlocking it. “Do whatever you want, fungus,” he told him. “Stay or go, I’m ignoring you either way. Just don’t bother me.” 

Morro nodded, but Kai was ignoring him now, so he didn’t acknowledge it, and the master of wind sat down cross legged on the matted floor a short distance away. 

It couldn’t have been more than three minutes before Kai heard a dull thump and turned to see Morro slumped against the wall, completely unconscious. He put down his phone and leaned back against the wall to look at him for a minute. 

He could still be lying. Seemed like an awful lot of effort to go through, but people always did a lot to get to Lloyd. 

He wasn’t letting his guard drop yet. Or at all. Ever. 

But he could at least let the guy take a nap. 

And besides. 

He looked back at his phone. 

Morro was right. 

If he did anything. Kai would take him down. 

  
  
  
  
  


____________

  
  
  
  
  
  


Morro was actually following him now. He was trying to be subtle about it and failing miserably. 

Kai guessed that it was his own fault, really. He was the one who let him pass out in the training room, he could have just kicked him out, then the whole situation wouldn’t have been a problem, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to just… tell him to get lost. 

Morro sat down on the couch while Kai finished putting away the game he and Jay had been playing. He didn’t look as tired as the day before, probably because he’d gotten a solid three hours of sleep in the training room, another one at dinner, and two more while Lloyd and Kai sparred on deck. 

Kai rubbed his hand across his face with a tired sigh, then made his way over to the couch before plopping down on it, startling Morro, and turning to him and giving him a look. 

“Look,” he said flatly. “I don’t like you. I’m never going to stop disliking you. You hurt my little brother and I’ll probably never let that go.” 

Morro’s eyes dropped to the couch at those words, looking guilty. Good actor, or genuinely sorry. Didn’t matter. 

“So,” Kai continued. “If you ever need a break from everyone’s smothering niceness, I will absolutely come and yell at you.” 

Morro looked up at him and blinked. The huffed something that might’ve been a laugh, brow furrowing and sinking in on himself slightly. “Now you’re doing it too.” 

“What? Being nice?” Kai asked, raising his eyebrow.”I can call you names if that would help.” 

“What?” Morro said, confused. “That’s not the point--” 

“Jerkface,” Kai said. 

“You’re still being--” 

“Narcissist.” 

“Kai--” 

“Overgrown moldy toenail.” 

That startled a laugh out of Morro. “What?” he wheezed, seeming to completely forget what they were talking about for a moment. 

“I got more,” Kai said, raising a challenging brow, face dead serious. 

“I don’t think this is--” 

“Power hungry hungry hippo.” 

“ _What?”_ Morro laughed. 

Kai didn’t smile. 

But it was a pretty near thing.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Face it Kai, you've already adopted this dude LKSMDFOAWF 
> 
> AIGHT, just Kai's pov this time but HOPE YA LIKED, I WISH YOU ALL A GOOD SLEEP WHENEVER YOUR BEDTIME IS AND MAKE SURE YOU DRINK SOME WATER TODAY <3 (yes, I'm going to be saying this every chapter, rip to y'all ALKSDMFOWFE)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long day and Kai ends up being a bit of a jerk. 
> 
> Also, Morro gets a sweater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Kinda got grounded from anything non-school related until I got caught up so I spent the last three days aggressively typing assignments so that I could post this as soon as possible kldfasdf I’m proud to say I am caught up and even a little bit ahead >:D!! Still gonna be spending a lot of my free time on schoolwork so I don't fall behind again, but enjoy the chapter, and hopefully I’ll keep the posting schedule until we’re finished! >:D!

Morro didn’t know what to think of Kai. 

It was different from his usual ‘not knowing what to think’. Kai was being nice but… not. He would let him hang around, but didn’t treat him any differently after their conversation. He still didn't like him standing too close, and gave him annoyed glares, but he let him sit with him when he needed a break from the others, sometimes pushing him out of the way when he needed to get somewhere, or throwing something at him to get his attention, but other than that he mostly let him be. 

It felt…. oddly normal. Not that Morro even knew what normal was anymore.

Kai didn’t treat him like glass, he wasn’t overly kind, but wasn’t cruel, he just sorta… treated him naturally, aside from calling him anything but his actual name. He didn’t try to dilute himself to avoid startling him; when he was loud, he was loud; if he was training, and Morro fell asleep, he didn’t pull his punches or try to be quiet as he attacked the punching bag; he would laugh suddenly at something on his phone, and if it startled Morro he would just snicker at him before turning his attention back to whatever he was doing. 

Morro felt like he could breathe. 

Kai threw a cushion at the back of his head and knocked him off the couch, completely ignoring the way he just lay on the floor and asked him over the back of the couch if he’d drunk any water that day because Zane wouldn’t stop texting the group chat about it, so if he hadn’t he needed to so that the team would stop spamming him. 

Morro’s guilty silence was apparently enough and Kai kicked him out of the room straight into Zane and Cole, who were walking down the hallway. The two ninja looked bewildered when Kai glared at Morro before slamming the door shut. 

“No slamming doors,” Zane called, still looking confused, glancing between the door and Morro like he was trying to solve a puzzle. 

“Sorry!” Kai called back, voice muffled through the wall. “My bad!” 

Morro would have laughed if it weren’t for the bottle of water in Zane’s hand. 

“Were… were you hiding with Kai?” Cole asked incredulously. 

“No,” Morro lied before clamping his mouth shut. 

Kai narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him when he returned, and Morro told him he’d had water and that Zane let him go. He seemed to accept it grudgingly and let him go back to sitting on the couch.

Yeah… Kai was… just as strange as the rest of them. 

He still had a level of anger and animosity towards him, especially when Lloyd had a nightmare. Morro did his best to give him space on those days; though he wasn’t always able to.

On one such particular day Morro had been having an especially hard time with water, and Lloyd hadn’t slept at all apparently, and wasn’t really talking to anyone, which meant Kai wasn’t in the greatest mood in the first place, already looking like he’d like nothing better than to throw him over the side of the ship, so he supposed he should have seen it coming. 

He'd been dozing slightly, leaning against the wall of the training room, lips dry and cracked and brain feeling fuzzy from the lack of liquid in his body. He hadn’t drunk anything since the afternoon before, and it was steadily approaching evening. He’d been dodging the other’s all day, and they were probably still looking for him. He had almost completely fallen asleep when he was abruptly, and viciously, woken up by a cold bucket of water dumped directly over his head. 

His terror lodged itself in his throat and he couldn’t breathe, the shock of the cold water knocking the breath right out of his lungs and panic kept him from inhaling anything new as the water soaked into his clothes and clung to him, dripping down his face. 

He gasped in a strangled breath and coughed, his body starting to shake horribly and he scrambled backwards away from the water puddling around him, despite the fact that his back was already pressed against the wall and there was nowhere to go. 

He scrambled wildly for a second, chest aching horribly from the lack of air, or desperate heaving gasps when firm crushing hands around his wrists stopped him from moving and he sucked in another breath, trying to focus on the person in front of him. His body automatically tried to tug his wrists away but they held firmly and the too-tight squeezing brought him out of his panic enough to see Kai crouched in front of him. 

“Is it burning?” he asked him stonily, not an ounce of sympathy in his face or in his tone. 

Morro sucked in a gulp of air, shuddering, trying to breathe and focus long enough to understand what he was saying. 

“Is it burning?” Kai asked again, sharply, eyes cold.

Moro struggled to gain control of his breathing, looking at him with wide blown open eyes, body coiled tight like a spring and impossibly tense but… 

It wasn’t burning. 

He was wet but… it wasn’t… he wasn’t dying, or burning away, and he tried to tell himself that. 

It was still hard to breathe though. 

“If it’s not burning, you’re fine,” Kai said flatly. “You could use a shower anyways.” He bumped Morro on the head lightly with the now-empty bucket he held in his hands, almost like an admonishment, then promptly turned it upside down and dropped it over his head, blocking out the light from the room. 

Morro reached up with shaking hands to push it back so he could see at least a little and watched Kai walk away. 

He dropped his head to his knees, flinching at the damp feeling there, and everywhere, still shaking. It was fine. He probably deserved that, making it out to be a bigger deal than it should have been. He let the bucket fall down over his head again, trapping him in darkness. 

It only stayed like that for a moment though, not long enough for him to really panic at the feeling of drowning in pitch black, because the bucket was suddenly lifted off his head, and he looked up in confusion, still heaving in breath after breath. It took him a moment to focus on the hand held in front of his face. 

He glanced up at Kai, who looked almost guilty. 

“Come on,” he said quietly. “Let's get you dried off.” 

Morro hesitated for a moment, before reaching up with a shaking hand to let Kai pull him to his feet. His hands were warm; a lot warmer than the water. He tried to breathe and not let the feeling of his wet heavy clothes make him panic more than he already was but it was really hard. 

Kai pulled him away from the puddle on the ground and then had him sit against a different area of the wall. Morro let him lead him over stumbling and staggering slightly before collapsing down in the spot, legs shaking too much to hold him up properly. Kai pulled a towel seemingly out of nowhere--or maybe Morro was just too disoriented to see properly--and draped it over his head, pulling on the ends, first left then right and back and forth to help dry his head and hair off. 

The towel was really warm and dry and Morro was able to focus on that rather than the wetness of his clothes. He didn’t want to close his eyes though; not wanting to feel the darkness of drowning. He was still shaking. 

The movement of the towel stopped for a moment and he looked up, trembling to see Kai looking at him with a regretful expression. 

His eyes dropped and he resumed the movement of the towel, not looking him in the eye. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that.” 

“It-it-i-it’s f-f-fine,” Morro managed to chatter out, teeth actually starting to chatter halfway through the sentence. 

Kai looked at him, brows set and a small frown starting to form on his mouth. “It’s not.” 

“It-it’s s-st-stupid,” Morro told him, arms coming up to hug himself, flinching a little at the wet feeling of his sleeves. “T-t-to b-be a-af-afraid of-of w-water.” 

The movement of the towel stopped again. 

“I’m afraid of water,” Kai said. 

Morro looked up at him, startled, blinking with wide eyes as he shivered. 

Kai held his gaze for a moment before dropping his eyes. 

Neither of them said anything after that, and Kai continued to dry his hair off. The towel stayed unnaturally warm, and Moro wondered if Kai was heating it himself. He draped the towel over his shoulders like a cape after he seemed to deem his hair sufficiently dried, then plopped down next to him with a sigh, slinging his arm over his shoulders and pulling him against his side, making Morro stiffen. 

His body was still trembling, but at least he wasn’t struggling to breathe so much anymore. 

Warmth started to sink into his shoulders and around his neck and against his entire side where he was pressed up against Kai and he felt abruptly drowsy. There wasn’t really any doubt the fire ninja was doing it on purpose. 

“I’m sorry,” Kai said for the second time as Morro shivered. “That was really crappy of me to do. I don’t like you, but that’s no excuse to do something like that. Especially when I knew…” he sighed dragging his free hand down his face, his arm tightening around Morro’s shoulders a little. 

“It--it’s f-fine,” Morro told him. He really couldn’t imagine why he was apologizing.“Y-you--” 

“Don’t make excuses for me,” Kai cut him off sharply, making him flinch. 

They sat like that for a while until Morro’s shivers stopped and his clothes had mostly dried off. 

“We really need to get you some clothes,” Kai mused. 

“I’m fine.” 

“You have one outfit, and you’ve been wearing it for a month straight, dude, that is not fine. And a bucket of water isn’t going to change the fact that you really do need a shower.” 

Morro shuddered at the thought. 

“We’ll figure something out,” Kai told him. He squeezed his arm around his shoulders reassuringly. “Work up to it or something. No buckets involved.” 

Morro huffed a shaky laugh at that, hands trembling a little at the thought of standing under a steady stream of water. 

“Sorry,” Kai said again. 

“Y-you’re b-being n-nice,” Morro accused. 

“I can push you over if you want,” Kai offered. “I feel bad for drenching you, but I’ll still throw something at you in a heartbeat.” 

“N-nothing to th-throw,” Morro pointed out, snickering and flashing one of his incisors in a tilted, sharp grin. “And c-can you r-really throw s-something at m-me when you’re r-right next to m-me?” 

“I can if I try hard enough.” 

“S-seems like a w-waste of ef-effort.” 

“I think you’re underestimating how much fun it is knocking you off the couch.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Morro ended up falling asleep, leaning against his shoulder. He woke up later, his clothes dry and in his own bed. There was a large black hoodie sitting on the dresser beside him with a small note written on a piece of paper that looked like it was torn out of a notebook. 

_ This’ll help disguise your funky smell so you don’t kill anyone with it.  _

_ Sorry again. _

_ (P.S Lloyd, Nya and Jay are taking you shopping tomorrow RIP) _

The hoodie was soft inside and out and Morro just held it in his hands for a long time before slipping it over his head. He pulled the hood up, already feeling warmer. 

  
  
  
  
  


_________________

  
  
  
  
  


Kai wasn’t sure when it had changed. 

One minute, he genuinely hated Morro, and the next he was draping a blanket over him when he passed out in the training room, and throwing snacks at him whenever they both ended up in the lounge. 

He didn’t… trust him exactly, but he didn’t hate him anymore. 

Part of him still worried that it was all an elaborate trick, and that the moment he let his guard down Morro would do something horrible. 

He wasn’t sure when he had started hoping he was wrong about that. 

Even the name calling went from annoyed to almost… fond, and he really wasn’t sure how to feel about  _ that _ whole situation. It felt a lot like when he called Lloyd Green Bean, more of a nickname, than a name-calling kinda name. 

He nearly dropped his phone on his face when the most brilliant name he’d ever thought up hit him, interrupting his thoughts, and he hurled a cushion at Morro to get his attention. 

It whapped him in the face and he flailed for a moment, swatting the pillow away before looking at him incredulously, expression almost offended.

Kai grinned wolfishly from where he sat upside-down on the couch, head hanging over the side and feet propped up against the headrest. “Green Wannabean.” 

Morro looked at him incredulously. “ _ What? _ ” 

“I’ve been struck by inspiration, I’m calling you Green Wannabean from now on.” 

Morro stared at him like he’d just suggested they have moldy socks for dinner, for a solid three seconds. “That’s stupid,” he told him. 

“Your face is stupid,” Kai shot back, sticking out his tongue. “And you need a haircut.” 

Morro’s hand went up to touch his almost shoulder-length hair self-consciously. “I like it,” he mumbled, frowning. 

“It looks like a greasy rats nest.” 

“Yours isn’t any better,” he grumbled, looking back at the comic book in his hands. 

Kai’s jaw dropped, and he spluttered, feeling truly offended. “My hair is a  _ gift _ , I’ll have you know!” 

“Sure.” 

“I will literally shave your head in your sleep,” Kai threatened. 

“Lloyd would stop you,” Morro countered without even looking up from his book, and Kai hated how right he was. 

“Still need to cut it,” he huffed. 

“I’ll grow it down to my waist just to spite you.” 

“It’d be pretty flammable at that length.” 

Morro looked up from his book, eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t.” 

Kai grinned at him. “Accidents happen during training.” 

Morro grabbed the cushion from it’s spot on the floor beside the couch and threw it at him. 

Kai just caught it from his upside-down position, cackling at him and his pathetic attempt at a throw. 

Despite his comment about his hair, Morro was actually looking… better. The circles under his eyes weren’t so dark, he wasn’t so pale, he was sleeping more; he seemed more relaxed around them all, and Kai was gradually becoming familiar with the sound of his voice as he started talking more. 

Zane and Cole’s efforts seemed to be making headway too. Morro wasn’t flinching as hard whenever someone turned the tap and, according to Zane, he was drinking more, with panic attacks being few and far between. 

He wasn’t even sure Morro noticed his own progress.

Sure, he wasn’t one hundred percent--he was still a long way off from complete recovery--but he was far better than he was when he’d first arrived. 

They all were really; actually sleeping through the night; not jumping at every small creak of the ship and whisper of wind; laughing a little more freely and relaxing enough to actually take naps. 

They all still had a long way to go… But they’d get there. 

Kai went back to scrolling through his phone, a smile lingering on his face. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_____________

  
  
  
  
  


“Hey,” Kai said, peeking into the room and glancing around. “Where’s Green Wannabean at?” 

Cole turned to stare at him. “ _ Who? _ ” 

“Ex-ghost, probably gonna stab us all in the back while you all get buddy buddy with him, doesn’t know how a phone works,” Kai listed flatly, raising an eyebrow. “Ring a bell?” 

“You call Morro  _ Green Wannabean? _ ” Nya asked, looking like she was a moment away from laughing. 

“I’ve also called him Moldy-Toenail,” Kai shot back at her. “Now, anybody seen the emo-disaster?” 

“Oh my gods,” Nya wheezed, shoulders shaking with laughter. 

“I believe I saw him headed to the kitchen,” Zane told him, a small amused smile on his face. 

“ _ Green Wannabean? _ ” Cole repeated incredulously. 

“Thank you, Zane,” Kai said pointedly. “Nya, I disown you. And Cole? We are no longer friends.” 

He promptly left the room and Zane shook his head, smiling fondly while Cole spluttered and Nya cackled. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who's ready to throw hands with me and Kai after that? >:P KLMSDFOQWIF 
> 
> I actually wasn't going to add the Green Wannabean thing, and drew this comic to get the idea out so I wouldn't put it in the fic, but I lost the battle and ended up doing it anyway, so now you get the art and the fic LOL Link to art/short dumb comic: https://ninja-knox-ur-sox-off.tumblr.com/post/629010965854289920/kai-does-not-approve-i-put-absolutely-no-effort 
> 
> (I like to think I'm funny sdlkfmawoeif XD)
> 
> And I just wanna take a second to say thank you everyone who's been leaving comments, they really mean the world to me and get me so excited to keep writing and knowing that people like what I create is really SO COOL and I can't stop grinning, so THANK YOU, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND I LOVE YOU ASLKDFWE Thanks for sticking around <3 
> 
> Five chapters left y'all!! >:D!!!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morro and Kai talk.

Morro genuinely hadn’t realized anything had changed until Kai straight up punched somebody in the face for him during a grocery run. 

They’d all split up to get different items on the grocery list, Cole, Kai and Jay in charge of snacks; Nya and Lloyd off getting noodles and rice; and Zane was showing Morro how to pick out fruits and vegetables. It was a bit of an alien concept to him still. After leaving the monastery he’d fallen back into the habit of just eating whatever he could that wouldn’t instantly kill him or make him sick and, after he’d died, eating hadn’t really been something he’d had to think about. It felt weird to just… pick the nicest looking ones. Half the time he felt like someone was going to accuse him of stealing and he’d get thrown out. He’d felt nervous as they went through the checkout, but the young women there just gave him a brief smile.

  
They’d finished their task first and were waiting outside for the rest of the team for a while, long enough that Morro placed the grocery bags on the concrete sidewalk. Zane ended up growing restless and instructed him to stay where he was while he went to locate the others since they were taking a while. The ninja weren’t very fond of letting the others out of their sight for long still, so Morro didn’t bother to argue, simply lingering on the sidewalk with the grocery bags at his feet, waiting. 

A few minutes after Zane had gone back inside a group had approached Morro. The situation had escalated quickly, from nothing at all, to something a lot bigger. One minute they were just talking at him, getting too close, and the next the guy that had grabbed at Morro’s hair was on the ground and sparks were shooting out of Kai’s fingers. 

Morro hadn’t even noticed him approaching until his fist was cracking the guy across the jaw. 

He could have handled it--blasted them away with a well placed gust of wind--but part of him hadn’t been sure how the ninja might react if he started randomly attacking pedestrians, so he hadn’t done anything. Now all he could do was stare with eyes blown wide open. 

The guy’s friends helped him to his feet while Kai planted himself directly between Morro and the group. 

“Touch him again and I’ll melt your fingers off,” he said, voice dangerously low. 

The group looked like they might ignore his threat, clearly feeling a little more powerful due to the fact that it was five against one, but then Kai’s hand lit on fire and they were practically tripping over each other to get away. 

Morro stood with his back against the concrete wall, heart pounding, and stared at the back of Kai’s head as they ran off. 

Kai extinguished the flames in his hand and huffed, shooting a nasty look in the direction of the fleeing group before turning to look back at Morro, face settling into something considerably less murderous. 

“You okay?” he asked, eyes flicking across his face as if scanning him for any sign of injuries. 

Morro could still only stare at him, mind whirling. 

Kai seemed to deduce he wasn’t hurt, even without a response and his shoulders seemed to relax a little in something that might have been actual _relief_ as he sighed, dragging a hand down his face, shooting one last glare in the direction that the group had fled. He then leaned down, grabbing the grocery bags that were at Morro’s feet before straightening up and nodding in the direction of the store’s entrance. “Come on, the others are waiting inside.” 

He started walking, not waiting for a response and Morro could only scramble after him, stumbling, too distracted to even walk properly; unable to comprehend _why_ \--

“Why did you do that?” 

“Please,” Kai scoffed dismissively without looking back at him. “If anyone’s gonna end you, it’s gonna be me, not some random idiot who can’t keep his grimy fingers to himself.” His voice transformed into more of a snarl at the end of the sentence. 

A chill ran down his spine at the dangerous tone in his voice, and Morro was grateful he wasn’t the one facing Kai’s wrath. 

It abruptly hit him that he couldn’t remember the last time Kai had used that tone with him. Or the last time Kai even glared at him. He was angry… but not at Morro. The only time he’d seen Kai act the way he was, was when Lloyd was… 

He stopped walking, feet rooting themselves to the ground. 

Kai noticed he wasn’t following quickly enough that Morro had no doubt he was paying closer attention to him than he’d been letting on, and turned to look at him, raising his eyebrow questioningly at whatever look was on his face. “What?” 

“You hate me,” Morro said, but it sounded more like a question. 

Kai had been looking away but his eyes snapped back to his face. 

Morro looked back at him, waiting for his answer. 

Kai’s eyes flicked away from him for a moment, mouth pressing into a thin line before he was turned away and walked into the grocery store. 

That was somehow a louder answer than if he’d yelled it. 

Morro stood frozen for a good five seconds before his feet automatically peeled themselves off the ground and he followed him inside.

Kai didn’t say anything to him when they found the others, or when they left the store and headed back to the _Bounty_ , just going back to ignoring him and talking to the others like nothing had happened. 

Lloyd kept glancing back at Morro from where he sat in the front seat, looking confused and maybe a little concerned at his silence.

When had he started talking so much that him being silent warranted concern? 

Morro avoided his gaze and stared out the window.

When they got back to the ship he helped unload and put away the groceries before dodging Lloyd’s questioning look, slipping out of the room with an excuse, and heading up to the crow’s nest of the ship to sort out his thoughts. 

Any time he was without one of the ninja, he spent sitting there. Up so high, the wind was bitterly cold, it might’ve been uncomfortable for others, but for him it was like being enveloped in a blanket and he would spend hours up there with his eyes closed just savouring the feeling of the achingly familiar breeze on his skin. After so long without it he’d almost forgotten what the wind really felt like, and he hadn’t used his elemental power since coming back--part of him was afraid to try--so this was the closest he could get. 

He climbed up, breaths short and laboured by the time he reached the top, telling him, once again, that he needed to start actually using his body unless he wanted to die again. 

He ignored the thought as he crawled onto the small platform, rolling over to lie on his back for a moment to catch his breath, looking up at the grey clouds drifting past before adjusting himself so that he was kneeling in a meditative position. 

The wind carded through his lengthening hair, chilly and soft and Morro felt himself relax a little, mind clearing enough to think. 

He’d been living with the ninja for almost three months now; barely a moment compared to what he’d already lived but somehow it felt so much longer. Like a hundred years, or the blink of an eye when looking back. When had he grown so comfortable with them? When had _they_ grown so comfortable with _him?_

He reached up, fingers tangling themselves in his hair, feeling the length of it. It was longer than he’d ever attempted to grow it out. For as long as he could remember he’d kept it clipped closer to jaw length. Now it brushed his shoulders, close to draping over them; a physical example of the time that had passed, something that he hadn’t had as a ghost. 

He let his hand fall onto his lap and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. 

If Morro had learned one thing about Kai since he’d first encountered him, it was that the elemental master of fire was fiercely protective of his family. He had been prepared to do anything to save Lloyd; burned bright and fiery and unfaltering until they had gotten him back and Morro… Morro had seen it up close, he _knew_ what it looked like from the front--to be in the face of his sparks and fury. He had no idea how to react to being _behind_ it; to be the one Kai pushed behind him, placing himself between him and possible danger. He knew what it meant for Kai to react the way he did. 

He’d thought Kai hated him, but Kai wouldn’t punch someone; wouldn’t have sparks flying off his fingers at the mere sight of someone touching him like that, to protect someone he didn’t--

“Hey.” 

Morro jerked away from the sound behind him, heart leaping into his throat, arms flailing wildly in alarm. 

“Calm down, Green Wannabean,” Kai scoffed, pulling himself up effortlessly, resting his arms atop the platform, the rest of him hanging over the side, jacket ruffling in the wind as he gave him a flat look. “It’s just me.” 

Morro’s pounding heart was already slowing down, his initial panic recceeding and ordinarily he might’ve snapped something back, but… something stopped him. He wasn’t sure when reacting like with a sarcastic response had become _ordinary_ for him, or why Kai hadn’t barbequed him for talking back yet. 

He turned away from him, looking back out across the clouds. 

Kai was quiet for a moment before he pulled himself up the rest of the way and came over to sit next to him, flopping down and leaning back against his hands, legs dangling over the edge, with a sigh. 

“Nice view,” he remarked casually, after a minute. 

“How’d you know I was up here?” Morro asked quietly. 

Kai’s mouth tilted into a wry smile. “I’ve known about this place the whole time. Everybody was losing their minds when they couldn’t find you the first time, y’know?” 

Morro looked at him in confused, disbelief, brows furrowing. “Why did you tell them where I was?” 

Kai shrugged. “I didn’t want you around Lloyd, and if you were up here, you weren’t with him. Besides, it wasn’t like you were doing any harm here. If I’d told him where you were he probably would have come up here after you, then fallen asleep and you could’ve pushed him off.” 

Morro let his eyes drift back to look at the clouds that surrounded them. Made sense, but at the same time didn’t. 

“When did you stop hating me?” 

He hadn’t exactly meant to ask the question, but now that it was out, he wasn’t about to take it back. He kept his gaze forward, even as he felt Kai’s eyes on him. A part of Morro hoped that Kai would deny it; tell him that he _did_ hate him so things could go back to whatever the normal had become for them.

Kai took a minute to answer, as if considering his words. 

When his answer finally came, it wasn’t exactly what Morro was expecting. 

“I don’t know,” he said simply. 

Morro glanced at him, and Kai just looked out over the sky that surrounded them, posture straight but relaxed, completely at ease sitting beside Morro, despite the fact that he could blast him off the side of the ship if he’d wanted to. 

It was strange. He wasn’t sure when they’d grown so familiar, and how he’d manage to miss it. He probably should have felt worried. Kai not hating him could mean he might hesitate if something happened, but for some reason… he wasn’t as worried about it as he should have been. It made little sense, and he couldn’t even begin to figure it out, but… maybe, he thought as he joined Kai in staring out at the clouds, it wasn’t something that he needed to look into too much. 

“You know,” Kai said, breaking the silence again. “I want to trust you.” 

Morro looked back at him. 

Kai’s smile changed into something sad. “I don’t know if I ever will--or even if I _can_ \--but…” he shrugged. “I wish I could.” 

“Why,” Morro asked, genuinely baffled. What was it about him that had managed to convince the entire ninja team that he was someone worth trusting, after everything he’d put them through? 

Kai laughed at whatever expression was on his face and bumped his shoulder with his own. “You’re not as bad as you seem to think, dude.” 

“I literally tried to destroy Ninjago,” Morro said flatly. 

“You sure you want to remind me of that when there are no witnesses around?” Kai asked, raising an eyebrow, but Morro could see the mischief in his eye, no actual threat to be seen; there hadn’t been one for a long time, he’d just been too absorbed in himself to notice it’s absence. 

Morro glanced away to keep watching the clouds. “I will never understand any of you.” 

“Eh, you love us,” Kai teased. 

That made him pause, any retort he had dying in his throat. 

He swallowed, feeling abruptly unsteady. He wasn’t sure why it made him stop so completely. 

Kai didn’t seem to notice his sudden quiet, or at the very least chose not to draw attention to it, instead laying back against the platform to look up at the sky above them, arms behind his head. “The others are probably wondering where we are. Might wanna head back inside before they come find us.” 

_Before they find your hiding place_ , were the unspoken words. 

“Yeah,” Morro acknowledged, staring off at nothing. 

“Race you down,” Kai said, suddenly sumersalting backwards and promptly plummeting off the edge of the crows nest. 

Morro couldn’t stop himself from throwing himself at the ledge to look over with actual panicked concern. 

Kai just laughed at him as he used airjitzu to slow his fall and land safely on the deck below, and Morro threw a curse at him, which only made him cackle harder. 

“Come on, slowpoke,” Kai called. “Lets go!” 

Morro hesitated before turning and slipping over the ledge onto the ropes and slowly making his way down. 

“Careful,” Kai said after a few seconds. “If you go any faster you might actually exceed the speed of a sloth.” 

“Shut up,” Morro said, shooting a nasty look down at him. 

Kai just snickered. “Seriously, we gotta get you involved in training. Physical bodies need upkeep you know.” 

He did know that.

He just wasn’t sure if he wanted the possibility of being a potential threat to them. If his body was as weak as it was now, they wouldn’t have much of an issue taking him down if anything happened. 

Morro refrained from responding and continued his slow descent. 

Kai waited for him until he reached the bottom before turning and heading inside. Morro followed after him, the breeze whipping his hair into his face until it was cut off and replaced by the warmth of the interior of the ship. 

It was strange to look at someone and know that they would both defend him and throw him off the ship if the need arose. 

A little scary, a little reassuring. 

(Scary knowing that Kai would defend him like he defended Lloyd.)

He genuinely wasn’t sure how to feel about it. 

It didn’t seem to faze Kai though, he simply walked down the hall ahead of him at a relaxed pace, hands in his pockets and humming to himself as though nothing of the earth shattering variety had occurred. 

Maybe he’d seen it happening a while before and figured out how to approach it, while Morro had just been too absentminded and distracted by his own thoughts to notice until it was blatantly staring him in the face. 

Whatever the case, this was where they were now. 

It was a change but… 

Maybe not necessarily a bad one. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND FINALLY, FOUR CHAPTERS LATER, KAI HAS OFFICIALLY ADOPTED THIS EMO INTO HIS FAM. That took a hot minute LOL 
> 
> I have a lot of feelings about this mini-arc because Kai and Morro help each other change, even if they don't realize it. ;-; 
> 
> (Also, I know hair doesn’t grow that fast, but I just wanted Morro with long hair, let me have this)
> 
> STAY HYDRATED. LOVE YOU GUYS <333


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thinking, braiding and training.

Things were good; he couldn’t remember them ever being as good as they were. Even when he was living with Wu in his monastery it hadn’t been as comfortable as whatever he had on the _ Destiny’s Bounty _ with the ninja. It confused him and pulled him in at the same time, not something he understood, but something he wanted. 

~~_ Gods, he wanted _ .  ~~

Morro didn't exactly have a good history with getting what he wanted. 

His nightmares were still there, but they didn’t come quite as often; sleep was still hard, but not so hard that he couldn’t manage; his guilt would most likely always be there, but it had retreated to something he almost forgot about sometimes until something reminded him of who and where he was. He was almost… 

~~ Happy?  ~~

He could breathe. Yeah. He felt like he could breathe. It had been a long time since he felt like he could just breathe without something crushing his chest or looming behind him. 

He was breathing now, it was okay. 

But somehow, despite that, he still felt on edge. 

He was better now, or making progress at least, it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to leave the ninja; only a matter of time before they pushed him out the door. It would probably be best for everyone if he left before so they wouldn't have to do so, but somehow… he just couldn’t bring himself to go--he didn’t  _ want _ to go. 

_ Gods, _ he wanted to  _ stay _ . He almost laughed at himself. He doubted he would ever be ready to leave, but there was no telling how long they’d let him remain with them. Every day that passed could be another day closer to the one when they would tell him he’d overstayed his welcome and the thought terrified him. What would he even do? He’d been dead for so long he wasn’t even sure he remembered how to live.

Everytime he imagined leaving--the ninja deciding they’d have enough of him and they’d fulfilled any obligation they had and sent him off on his own--he’d freeze up; the calm and quiet contentment he’d started to feel living on the _ Bounty _ disappearing and being replaced with a paralyzing fear that made him either spiral until he’d want nothing more than to hide under his blankets until he stopped breathing, or scream at the sky and ask Destiny  _ why _ \--why had it thought it was a good idea to give him a chance at a second life when he had nothing to live for. Once they’d had enough of him, he’d have no one. 

How sad was it that the only people who seemed to give any thought towards him were the ones he’d manipulated and hurt and--

_ No not you, _ Lloyd’s voice reminded him firmly, cutting off the self degrading thought, and he amended his statement to something a little less self-condemning. 

It was sad that the only people who gave any thought towards him were the ones he’d been involved in hurting. He was never going to understand how they managed to overlook his part in their pain. Even if it was minimal, according to Lloyd. 

Morro stared up at the ceiling from the bed that was all too easy to call  _ his, _ in a room that used to belong to someone else but everyone called  _ Morro’s room _ , and tried to decide what he was going to do. 

The thought of trying to live on his own again was overwhelming. Here on the ship it was a safe haven away from the world and everything in it; he didn’t have to think past the next week, or even the next day, he only had to exist and breathe and that was enough. But out there? He’d just been existing for decades as a ghost, how was he supposed to just… start living again; start thinking past the next day, the next month, the next year? 

He lay in bed and breathed, didn’t think past the next breath or the next second, just lay there and focused on his inhale, then his exhale. 

_ Leave before they tell you to.  _

_ Stay until they make you go.  _

_ Run away run away run away run away-- _

Inhale. 

Exhale. 

Inhale. 

Exhale. 

Being alone was something he was used to, not something he wanted, he shouldn’t have been so terrified of it. 

He didn’t think he could live for himself. 

_ Yet, _ Zane’s voice added, chidingly. 

_ Yet, _ he amended and could breathe a little easier. 

He could change and grow now, right? He wasn’t stuck in one place in an endless stationary state. He reached up and tangled his fingers in his hair to remind himself of the fact. It grew, and so could he. 

He closed his eyes, exhaustion weighing heavily down on him, and breathed. He would have liked nothing more than to sleep but despite his progress he still had trouble drifting off by himself, even after Nya had made him a nightlight so the darkness wasn’t as suffocating when he awoke from a nightmare, he was still afraid to succumb to unconsciousness; there was just no telling what might happen if he wasn’t awake to stop himself. 

Not that being awake had ever stopped him from doing anything stupid anyways. 

He sighed, giving up on trying to sleep, and instead rolling over and sitting up before slipping out of bed and padding quietly out into the hall, after making sure to shut off the nightlight on his way out. 

The hallway was a lot lighter than his room since the moonlight could actually reach it through some of the small windows so he didn’t have much trouble navigating after his eyes adjusted. Though, technically speaking, letting his eyes adjust might not have been necessary; he wouldn’t have been surprised if he could have navigated the halls of the ship with his eyes closed with how often he walked them. 

He wasn’t expecting to see any of the ninja still up at such a late hour, so he was surprised when not only one, but two of them came into his field of view. 

Cole was sitting on the end of the couch and Zane had pulled a chair over to sit a little ways in front of him. They were talking quietly, heads bent in murmuring conversation. He noticed them there too late, and Zane halted his speech mid-sentence, and glanced up, his glowing blue eyes, a lot brighter in the dim lighting of the room, landing on him and pinning him in place where he stood in the doorway. 

“Um…” Morro said, feet rooted to the spot and feeling a lot like he was intruding. “Sorry.” After a lame moment of silence he added: “I didn’t know anyone else was awake.” 

His eyes flicked over to Cole and he blinked, when his brain processed that he was hunched over and his head was turned away from him. It looked a lot like he was hiding and the feeling of intrusion intensified, making him abruptly realize that he might have interrupted a heavier discussion than he had thought. 

He glanced at Zane again who was still looking at him calmly as though reading him carefully before blinking slowly and dipping his head in a half-aborted nod. 

“That’s alright,” he said softly. “Trouble sleeping?” 

Morro tried to keep his eyes from drifting to Cole, shuffling his feet slightly, and thinking it might be better if he left. “Something like that.” 

_ Is Cole alright? _ , was what he wanted to ask, but didn’t. Not any of his business really. “Sorry,” he said again instead and turned to leave. 

“Wait,” Cole’s voice stopped him. 

Morro turned to look back at him. Cole still wasn’t looking at him, but had turned his head to look at the floor so Morro could see the side profile of his face, though it was mostly hidden behind his hair and he couldn’t make out much of his expression. He was flexing his near-transparent fingers, and Morro waited like he’d asked. 

“Is it… alright if I braid your hair?” Cole finally asked haltingly, his voice hoarse, just a bare note above a whisper. 

Morro blinked. 

“My mom used to let me do hers,” he explained, eyes flicking to him for a second. His fingers drummed against empty air and he dropped his gaze again. “Helps me… think.” 

Morro glanced at Zane, who said nothing, expression carefully blank giving no guidance, only watching him carefully as if waiting for his reaction. 

Cole’s fingers flexed, flickering between solid looking and transparent. 

“Alright,” Morro said. 

He stood awkwardly for another moment before padding forward through the door frame, and past Zane, then carefully lowered himself down at Cole’s feet, adjusting himself into a familiar cross legged position with his back to the earth ninja. 

He could feel Cole’s startled gaze but kept his eyes forward, fixing them on a spot on the floor on the other side of the room and breathed through the feeling of vulnerability that came with exposing himself to someone out of his line of sight. 

It was another moment before he felt Cole’s fingers brush his hair hesitantly and he barely caught his flinch at the unfamiliar feeling, closing his eyes and breathing through the anxiety. Cole started dividing his hair into sections and Morro felt himself start to relax. 

It was a nice feeling. He couldn’t imagine his hair felt very nice though. While he’d managed something akin to a shower a few times, it still hadn’t been properly washed yet; though… he supposed Cole probably couldn’t actually feel it anyways, so it didn’t really matter. 

Silence settled over them, heavy but not the kind that felt like it needed to be filled. Morro’s breathing was really the only sound along with the distant humming of the ship’s engine. It only lasted for a few minutes before he felt some of his hair fall back against his neck and a frustrated exhale came from the ghost behind him. He could feel the cool wisp of air as Cole attempted to gather it up again, but his fingers passed right through, then the rest of his hair fell back into place as well, the half-started braid unraveling. 

Cole made a shuddering sound with his next exhale. Morro couldn’t help glancing behind him and watched as he hunched in on himself. 

“Focus on your feet,” Morro found himself saying. 

Cole looked up and Morro held his gaze for a moment before looking back to the spot across the floor, ignoring the feeling of his and Zane’s gazes on him. 

“Ground yourself,” he said, and hoped that was enough. He really wasn’t sure if he could offer more. Wu trained him in grounding techniques, he could only hope he’d done so with the others as well. 

Cole gave a shaky exhale. Then tried again. 

It took a few brushes of cool air before Cole’s finger solidified enough to interact with the physical world, but he did it. 

Morro allowed himself to smile for a moment. 

Cole steadied. 

Zane remained unmoving, watching them. At first Morro had found his unrelenting gaze unnerving, but after a while it had just become familiar. 

He found himself nodding off and jerked slightly when his head started to dip too far forward, startling Cole. 

“Sorry,” he said immediately, withdrawing his hands. “Did I--?” 

“No I--I was just--” Morro rubbed his eyes. “Falling asleep.” He lowered his hand, placing it back on his lap and frowned a little. “Sorry.” 

Cole gave another exhale that almost sounded like a laugh, but not quite. “You can head back to your room if you want.” 

Dark. Alone. Sleepless. 

“No, that’s okay,” Morro replied quietly. “I’m fine here.” 

After another moment of hesitance Cole resumed braiding. 

Morro chanced a glance up at Zane to see the nindroid smiling sadly, but incredibly softly at Cole, who didn’t appear to notice. He seemed to sense Morro looking at him and his gaze dropped to look back at him. Morro glanced away a moment too late but couldn’t find enough energy to be embarrassed about it and went back to staring at the spot on the floor across the room. 

Morro let his thoughts fall away under the repetitive motions and allowed himself to simply breathe and exist in the moment, grounding himself in the present. 

None of them said anything when Cole unraveled the finished braid and started a new one. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  
  
  


Someone flicked the lights on and Morro had to pull from every reserve of will power left within himself not to hiss at the abrupt brightness that filled his room. He did not, however, hesitate to pull the covers over his head to hide from said light. 

“Nope!” Kai’s voice came, just as bright as the lights. “No going back to sleep; we’re getting you on a proper schedule, and that means you’re up with the sun like the rest of us!” 

Morro didn’t have time to protest before his blankets were being yanked off and he really did hiss at the light this time even though it wasn’t quite as burning the second time around, his eyes having adjusted at least a little. Still uncomfortable though. He reached for his blankets with a sound of protest, squeezing his eyes shut before aborting the motion and grabbing his pillow to press over his face instead, knowing that Kai had probably tossed them on the floor somewhere and he wasn't going to be getting them back without getting up, which was not something he was interested in doing. 

“Get up, Green Wannabean,” Kai said. “We’ve got training.” 

“No,” Morro mumbled into his pillow. 

“Yes,” Kai said and dragged him out of bed by his ankles. 

If Morro had thought mornings after nightmares were bad, it was nothing compared to a morning spent training when you’d barely woken up. He really didn’t think he’d gotten enough sleep to do so much physical activity first thing in the morning, and he had no idea how he used to do it with Wu when he was younger. He would genuinely have rather taken a cold shower than wake up before eight o’clock. 

He could barely keep his eyes open and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep when Kai dragged him into the training room. The others greeted him, with some amusement in their voices and he managed an aborted grumble in return that only seemed to make them smile more. 

Sure, whatever, let them find humour in his suffering. 

“Come on, Sunshine,” Kai said, throwing some hand wraps at him, which Morro made no move to catch, and they whacked his chest before falling to the floor at his feet in a crumpled heap. 

“I’m your sparring partner; you’ve got five minutes to wrap your hands and wake up and then we’re seeing where you’re at.” 

  
  


He was pretty sure Kai had only volunteered to spar with him because he thought it was hilariously entertaining to throw him halfway across the room repeatedly. 

He lay flat on his back against the mat on the floor where he’d landed after Kai had launched him for what felt like the fiftieth time and stared up at the ceiling. 

Kai bent over his head and gave him a grin. “Wow, that was terrible; you didn’t even last ten seconds, dude, I’m impressed. You’re way out of practice.” 

Morro looked up at him flatly. “Thanks, hadn’t noticed.” 

“Come on,” Kai said, much too energetically as he straightened up. “On your feet, let's go again.” 

Morro groaned. 

  
  
  


The first half-hour was the absolute worst, but it wasn’t so bad after Kai finished what he called “the warm up” (Morro was pretty sure he just got bored with throwing him around) and Lloyd stepped in to actually help him practice a few less strenuous exercises. Morro didn’t need his help, strictly speaking, but the ninja seemed determined to keep an eye on him, either to make sure he didn’t strain himself too much, or to make sure he didn’t try to get out of it. By the time an hour was up he was breathing hard and sweating and all in all felt more exhausted than he had when he’d woken up.

After Lloyd dismissed him, declaring he was done for the day, he flopped down on the floor, starfished on the mat, chest heaving and didn’t bother getting up again, just letting the others step over him when they needed to cross the room, or when their sparring brought them overtop of him. 

“You’re probably going to end up getting stepped on if you don’t move,” Nya warned him as she blocked a punch from Zane. 

“Hopefully it’ll knock me out,” Morro replied, still staring up at the ceiling blankly. He screwed up his face in a grimace. “I can’t feel my fingers.” 

She just laughed and she and Zane made sure not to accidentally step on or land on him as they sparred next to him.

Kai came over to gloat not long later, a smug smile on his face as he looked down at him. 

“How you doing down there, Breezy?” he asked, looking much too pleased with himself. 

“I hate you,” Morro said. 

Kai laughed. 

  
  
  


Eventually Morro dragged himself over to his usual position a short distance away from where Wu was sitting calmly cross legged by the door, watching his students from a distance. Morro sagged back against the wall with terrible posture, every limb feeling like jello. 

They trained for another hour or so, and Morro felt his old mentor’s eyes on him several times throughout that hour, but...

Wu didn’t say anything, so neither did Morro. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cole's just having some trouble with being a ghost ;-; 
> 
> Kai's arsenal of nicknames for Morro grow with every chapter LOL 
> 
> Anybody else remember Wu's still around? :P LOL That's a whole other unopened can of worms, as they say. 
> 
> Anyway, just a bit of a break chapter, and I'm experiencing the brain fuzz, so not much for thoughts which probably means I need to--DRINK SOME WATER *exaggerated theatrical wink* See how I transitioned to it there? :P Anyway, STAY HYDRATED, AND DO SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TODAY. I'm not suggesting to go for a run or anything, just, like, take a moment to get up and walk around the room a bit. Do some pacing. Literally just doing that can get you more energy. Energy begets energy, or something like that. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES <3 THREE CHAPTERS LEFT
> 
> Edit: OH MY GODS THERE'S ARRRRRRT *SCREAMS* GO CHECK IT OUT Y'ALLS LSKDFMAW;OIEF 
> 
> Link: https://ninja-knox-ur-sox-off.tumblr.com/post/636989780696154112/a-short-comic-for-ninja-knox-ur-sox-off-for-their


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wu and Morro time! >:D

The training became a regular thing, much to his dismay. The ninja seemed determined to get him up and moving, and most mornings ended with him sprawled on the mat and refusing to move. The soreness in every limb that persisted in the first week made him want to curl up somewhere and never move again. He didn’t miss the lack of feeling that came with being a ghost though; despite the aches and the walking into walls and the stubbed toes he still would choose having an actual body over an astral form with no substance or feeling any day. 

Morro wasn’t exactly trying to improve with the training, and Kai seemed to notice that, if the way he continued to throw him across the room then look at him with chiding disappointment was anything to go by, but Morro ignored his looks and continued letting himself get flipped onto the mat. If they were really going to make him train, he’d do it, but he wasn’t going to try and get good enough that he could actually beat them in a fight. Speaking of which, it might’ve been a good idea to teach them how to counter a few of his attacks. Just in case. 

Wu occasionally took a more active part in the training rather than just sitting and watching, pointing out the flaws in the ninja’s stances and technique and instructing them plainly on how to improve on them. He never came near Morro though, keeping a large distance away from him unless Morro himself chose to move closer. 

Honestly Morro wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting from his old mentor. He supposed it had been a bit much to assume he’d want much of anything to do with him after everything; after all, Morro was the one that left, wasn’t he? Part of him thought things between them might’ve been different after he’d dropped onto the ferry, but it seemed his Mentor hadn’t changed all that much. 

He hadn’t actually seen much of Wu outside of training and a few meals. It seemed impossible when both of them were living on the same ship, which, while it was a big ship, still had minimal space, but he supposed part of that could be attributed to the fact that whenever either of them entered a room with the other inside of it, they promptly left. 

“You should talk to him,” Lloyd said suddenly, looking up from his book.

And… wow, okay; was he really that transparent? He considered faking not knowing what Lloyd was talking about, but in the end decided it was a lost cause. Besides, he didn’t really think he could take being on the end of one of Lloyd’s unamused scolding looks that made him feel like he’d simultaneously disappointed a father figure and kicked a puppy at the same time.

“He doesn’t want to talk to me,” he finally responded quietly from his spot across the couch. 

“He does,” Lloyd said immediately, firmly, offering him a small smile when he looked up at him. “Trust me. Sensei can be a little hard to read sometimes, but he cares about you a lot.” 

“He’s avoiding me.” 

“You’re avoiding him,” Lloyd corrected, looking at him pointedly. 

Morro held his gaze for a moment before dropping his eyes in defeat and scowling at the floor. 

Lloyd poked him with his foot. “Talk to him.” 

“Yeah,” Kai said, entering the room and startling them both. “Please do. I’m getting tired of watching you two look at each other longingly from across the room.” 

Morro bristled as Lloyd laughed and Kai grinned at him. 

“I do not look at him longingly,” he scowled harder, giving Kai a withering glare which he didn’t so much as flinch under. 

“Yes you do,” Kai told him, squinting one eye and brandishing his spoon at him threateningly before dipping it into his bowl of ice cream and putting the entire massive scoop into his mouth without breaking eye contact, the action making Morro recoil. 

Morro scowled again and broke the gaze first--Kai giving a triumphant sound at his surrender through his mouthful of ice cream--and resumed looking at the ground like it was responsible for Kai’s brain freeze immunity. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” Kai said, plopping down in-between the two of them, forcing Lloyd to move his legs off the couch while protesting, “he’s just as bad as you are.” 

Somehow he doubted that. 

“Just talk to him,” Lloyd told him, leaning over so he could give him a reassuring smile behind Kai’s head. 

“If not for your own sake, for ours,” Kai said, making a face. “I don’t know how much more awkwardness from you two I can take.” 

Morro ignored them both. 

He was not going to listen to them. In fact, he fully intended to continue avoiding Wu for the rest of however long they allowed him to remain on the ship with them. 

He didn’t hate him. Or even still feel bitterness towards him really, but he had no idea how to approach him, or talk to him, or begin to address everything that had happened between them. 

Wu had forgiven him and he had forgiven Wu. 

Somehow that alone wasn’t enough to fix anything. 

He still wasn’t sure how Wu felt about the whole… _calling him_ _dad_ thing. He hadn’t meant to, it had just slipped up, in his defence he had thought he was dying and was going to stay dead, but still. He’d been thinking about it almost non-stop ever since. He wasn’t ready to face Wu, but he did know if he waited until he _was_ ready he might be waiting forever. 

Part of him wanted to be petty, make Wu come to  _ him _ instead of the other way around; it felt like he was always the one doing the work to try and bridge the gap between them, while Wu simply just stood there and waited, but he was tired. Tired of pettiness and anger and revenge and he just wanted… 

He didn’t know what he wanted. 

Part of him wondered if he should simply vanish one night so that he wouldn't have to deal with any of it, but running was something he was tired of doing as well. 

“Oh, hey, Sensei,” Kai’s voice drew him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Wu in the doorway, locking eyes with his old mentor. 

They stared at each other for much too long, and Morro felt rooted to the spot, frozen in his seat. 

He could feel Kai and Lloyd looking in between the two of them and the thought of having an audience to his and Wu’s… whatever it was was enough to snap him out of his frozen state and he tore his eyes away, dropping them to the floor and turning his head away from him slightly. 

“Morro,” Wu greeted, voice soft in a way that made Morro’s throat tighten. 

“Master Wu,” Morro said back, without looking at him, shoulders tense. 

The ensuing silence was heavy and Morro resisted the urge to hunch away. 

“Should we...” Kai broke the silence haltingly, still looking back and forth between them, almost warily. ...Go? Or…?” He trailed off. 

Morro grimaced. 

“No,” Wu said calmly. “That’s quite alright, Kai. I have some things that need attending to. I will see you all at supper.” He then turned and headed back down the hall the way he had come. 

Morro didn’t know if he was relieved or… disappointed. 

He looked up to see Kai and Lloyd giving him twin  _ I-told-you-so _ looks and he promptly stood up and left the room exiting in the opposite direction that Wu had gone. 

“Talk to him,” their voices chorused behind him in unison. 

Morro ignored them. 

  
  
  


______________________

  
  
  
  
  


They were right about one thing. 

As much as he didn’t want to, he missed Wu. While he hadn’t been the best mentor, he was still a good person and had done a lot for Morro when no one else had; everyone made mistakes, and Wu was no exception. 

People could do their best for someone and still hurt them; that was part of being human and why forgiveness was so important--why trying was so important. 

Easier in thought than in practice though. 

The training helped his sleep schedule settle a bit, but there were still nights when he couldn’t quite grasp sleep. He started to see the ninja in the halls less and less; Cole was really the only one who was constantly awake due to not needing sleep anymore, though he usually stayed in the ninja’s shared bedroom most of the night, meditating. 

Morro quietly made his ways through the empty hallways of the ship, letting his feet lead him wherever they pleased, leaving his mind free to wander. He only registered where they were taking him when he reached the door. 

The air was cool and cold against his skin when he stepped out onto the deck. The stars were bright and the clouds were few and far between. He paused, feet stilling against the wooden boards and inhaled, letting his eyes close and the cool air fill his lungs. The breeze rustled his sleeves and curled under his hair like a greeting. He still couldn’t bring himself to greet it back. 

He started forward again, intending to climb to the crows nest and maybe spend a few hours up there before heading back inside and attempting to grab a few hours of sleep before Kai appeared to drag him out of bed for training again, but something stopped him. 

His head turned and he glanced to the side, his eyes landing on a familiar straw hat and white robe. 

He froze, feet rooting themselves to the spot. 

It made sense that he’d run into him eventually, it had only been a matter of time. Part of him was ready to slip back inside and pretend he’d never seen him but his feet wouldn’t move. 

More than anything Morro was tired. Tired of running, tired of avoiding, just tired. 

They were at an impasse, and had been that way for far too long. He was terrified but… 

He’d make the first step. 

After that it was up to Wu. If he didn’t want to talk to him, that was fine. They could sit in silence for a while and then one of them would leave and they could go back to avoiding each other, and probably never resolve anything between them or repair the relationship that had once been there, and that was fine. 

~~ It was anything but fine.  ~~

Morro breathed for a moment to steady himself, then swallowed his anxiety and pushed himself forward slowly, feet padding softly, near-silently across the wooden deck, bringing him closer and closer to his old mentor. 

Wu didn’t show any sign that he heard him coming, remaining where he was, cross-legged with his eyes closed, but that was exactly what made Morro sure he already knew he was there. He hadn’t exactly been trying to be quiet when he’d first arrived on the deck, so he’d likely noticed then. 

His nervousness increased with every step, but somehow he made it to him and shakily lowered himself down at his side a few feet away, crossing his legs and mirroring his position. He let himself breathe and stared over the edge of the ship down at the clouds that drifted by beneath them. 

Silence. 

So, that was that then. 

His shoulders lowered a little, releasing some of the tension; maybe just relaxing, or maybe weighing down with his dejection. 

Disappointed, maybe, but not surprised. 

They sat in silence and Morro watched the clouds and the stars. 

It felt almost… familiar. They’d spent a lot of time like this back at the monastery, simply meditating in silence. Morro had both loved and hated those hours spent sitting without words. Spending time with Wu had been more than welcome, though he couldn’t have helped but wanted something more than silence and space. 

Morro never did have much luck in getting what he wanted. 

“You haven’t used your elemental power since you arrived here.” 

Morro’s heart leapt to his throat and he barely managed to stop himself from jumping at the unexpected sound of his mentor's voice. His surprise meant it took him a moment to process the actual words that had been spoken but once he did he tensed abruptly, eyes darting over to Wu who was watching the stars and not looking at him before tearing his eyes away and looking down at the wooden planks of the deck they sat on. 

He hadn’t thought anyone had noticed. 

“No one else has either,” Morro tried, his own voice sounding strange in the night air; much too loud and the same time barely a whisper. 

“Morro,” Wu said, his voice impossibly soft and he turned his head to see him looking at him, eyes holding something deeply sad. 

He couldn’t hold his gaze for long and broke away hunching slightly and looking down. 

Wu was quiet for a moment. 

“Your elemental power is part of you; it is nothing to be ashamed of.” 

He wasn’t ashamed. He just… 

“It’s nothing to be afraid of,” Wu said, even quieter, soft and sad, and Morro tried not to hunch further in on himself at his words. 

“I’d rather not have the extra ability to cause harm right now,” Morro found himself confessing aloud for the first time, in a quiet voice. 

Wu was silent again, and Morro could feel him watching him for a moment before he turned back to look at the stars wordlessly, seeming to decide that dropping the topic for the time being was the wisest course of action, which it probably was. Morro doubted he was ready to hear anything other than his own thoughts on the matter. 

The soft breeze felt cold for the first time in a long time. 

“There’s something else bothering you,” Wu said after another long moment of silence. 

Either Wu had gotten more observant or Morro had gotten a lot more transparent. Maybe a little of both.

“I…” he started but faltered and took a moment to breathe. “I appreciate you letting me stay here. I am grateful for the kindness you all have shown me, and I am sorry for any inconveniences my presence may have caused.” 

“Morro,” Wu said. 

“I know I cannot stay here forever,” he continued, instead of stopping; afraid that if he did halt he might not be able to get the words out again. “I am…” he inhaled. “I have already long since overstayed my welcome as it is, and for that I am sorry. I just--” 

“Morro,” Wu cut him off sharply. 

He clamped his mouth shut and kept his eyes fastened to the ground, unable to bring himself to look at him. 

“Morro,” Wu said again, softer and achingly gentle in a way that made Morro’s chest hurt. 

He breathed for a moment, unsure of when his arms had wrapped around himself in a poor imitation of a hug. The thought only made his chest ache more. 

“Do you wish to leave?” Wu asked him. 

Morro flinched, his grip tightening and fingers digging into his arms. “I do not wish to force my presence on you if you do not want me here.” 

“That is not what I asked,” Wu said softly. 

Morro breathed, gripping his arms tighter still and clenched his teeth once before hunching forward, shoulders raising and head dropping. 

“No,” he whispered, a broken guilty admission. 

“Then you do not have to,” Wu said, as though it were the most simple thing in the world. “You are one of my students and as such are welcome here for as long as you so desire. The ninja are undoubtedly inclined to agree; I have no doubt their responses would be similar to mine if they were asked. They’ve grown rather fond of you, it would seem.” There was a soft smile that made its way onto his face at that. 

Morro stared at him. 

Wu continued to watch the stars as though the thought of Morro leaving was not something he’d entertained nor something he was going to give any thought towards; as though his remaining there was decided long ago. 

“You say I’m welcome,” Morro said, watching him. “But you avoid me.” 

Wu looked at him and for the first time his expression had changed to something genuinely caught off guard, hesitant and uncertain, eyes flicking towards and then away from him before settling on the staff resting across his lap. “I wanted to give you space.” 

“Because that’s worked so well before?” Morro almost laughed, unable to keep the small amount of bitterness from his voice.

Wu’s eyes snapped to him and he stared at him in startled surprise, as though the thought had never occurred to him. 

Morro dropped his eyes, swallowing unsteadily and shifted slightly, but didn’t try to take his accusation back. 

“You said…” his voice broke and he squeezed his eyes shut. “You promised to do better.” 

He hated feeling so small, hated trembling without control and feeling like he was a child again; he was older than most of the inhabitants of Ninjago, he shouldn’t be crumbling like he was. 

“Morro,” Wu’s shattered voice came and Morro had to blink back tears as he curled in on himself. 

“I--” he choked on his words and pressed his hand against his mouth, shaking horribly, afraid he’d start sobbing if he tried to say anything else. 

His chest ached. He just wanted-- 

Arms wrapped around him firmly and pulled him into a crushing hug, warm and determined and safe and Morro couldn’t breathe for a moment. 

“I am sorry,” Wu said, voice tense and strained.

Something broke in his chest and he leaned into the hug, hands reaching out to cling to the man who had raised him and gave him a life just as much as he’d destroyed it. 

“I am sorry,” Wu said again, his hand coming up to cup the back of Morro’s head like he was something worth holding carefully and Morro pressed his face into his shoulder, trembling and trying to suppress the sobs that had been building up for so long. 

“I was so immersed in my own regret I allowed myself to fall back into old habits. A repetition of the past that I was too blind to see. You deserve more than me, Morro.” Wu’s voice broke into a whisper and he hunched over him. 

“I don’t want more than you,” Morro choked out, gritting his teeth, not even bothering to suppress his tears anymore. They ran hot and wet and uncomfortable down his cheeks, and his voice was muffled by the way his face was pressed into his shoulder. He clung to him tighter. He didn't need or want someone perfect. “I just want  _ you _ .” Because despite everything Wu still meant the world to Morro. Everything he’d done… 

“I just want to be good enough for you.” 

“Morro, no,” Wu whispered, thickly, and pained, his grip faltered before tightening as he leaned into him and pulled him closer. “No. You’ve always been enough. I’m sorry that I ever made you feel as though you weren’t.” 

Morro squeezed his eyes shut against the burn in his eyes. “I…” 

“You have nothing to prove to anyone, least of all to me.” 

_ You’ve always been enough _ . 

A sob tore itself from his throat. 

Wu held him together in a tight embrace and Morro let himself shake apart in his father’s arms. 

His world narrowed down to the ache in his chest, the sobs that wracked his body, and the warm safe arms that were wrapped around him. He ended up tucked into his side and he couldn’t bring himself to be embarrassed about crying, only pressed himself closer to Wu’s side and clung to his robes like he might slip away if he didn’t hold him there tightly. 

Wu let him cry, wordlessly, his hand coming up to stroke the back of his head and hair in a comforting manner that both shattered Morro further and made breathing easier at the same time. 

Eventually his sobs died down and he was left slumped against him, breathing slowly. Wu’s hand continued it’s path through his hair, seeming to have no intention of pulling away. Morro let the feeling ground him. 

His face was still half pressed into Wu’s shoulder, not so much so that he couldn’t see the sky and he watched detachedly as it started to lighten gradually. His limbs started to feel a little uncomfortably numb, but the last thing he wanted to do was move. 

So he didn’t. 

The stars receded, the deep blue of the night sky giving way to a lighter, softer blue and neither of them made any attempt to pull away, simply sitting together in silence. 

He hadn’t realized he was dozing until Wu spoke, breaking the silence, his voice soft. 

“I didn’t follow you,” he said into the quiet early morning air, and Morro shifted for the first time to look up at him, his brow furrowing slightly. 

Wu glanced down at him before looking back out across the sky. 

“But I waited for you.” 

No words came to his mind and Morro just looked at him and had to remind himself to breathe after a moment. 

“I kept the monastery door open.” Wu continued, then paused for a moment before adding: “Let a lot more animals in than I was expecting--” 

Morro let out a breathless laugh. 

“--but I kept it open…” he lowered his head a little, voice quieting. “Just in case.” 

Morro’s heart lodged in his throat unexpectedly and he swallowed the feeling. “Thank you,” he managed hoarsely. Then: “I’m sorry,” because it felt like he could never say it enough. 

Wu tilted his head to look down at him. “I think we are well past apologizing; are we not?” 

Morro opened his mouth, then closed it again. 

“Yeah.” 

Wu’s smile was sad, but not in a bad way. 

Morro inhaled and reached his hand up to scrub at his eyes, pushing himself away from Wu’s side a little so that he could sit up properly. His legs were completely numb at this point and he was not looking forward to when the feeling would flood back in them. 

Wu started to pull his arm away from where it was still wrapped around his shoulders, but hesitated.

Morro reached up and grabbed his hand to keep him from pulling away, eyes flicking to him for a moment before fastening themselves back to the deck to wait for his reaction. 

To his surprise, Wu relaxed and settled his arm more firmly around his shoulders pulling him into a half-hug and letting him lean on him again. 

For the first time it occurred to Morro that maybe Wu was just as unsure about their relationship as he was. 

“I’ll try to do better too,” Morro promised, and Wu looked at him in surprise. He offered him a smile that was more of a guilty grimace than anything. “I was avoiding you just as much as you were avoiding me. We can try together.” 

Morro held his gaze this time and in doing so saw how Wu’s eyes softened into a look that made his chest hurt. 

“Together then,” Wu said softly. 

The sun rose, warming his skin and it felt like his heart rose with it, making him feel lighter than he had in a long time. 

He let his head drop to rest on Wu’s shoulder and Wu tilted his head to bump against his, making Morro huff a laugh. 

There was still a lot he had to do, a lot of work that they would both need to put into their damaged relationship if they wanted to salvage it but… Morro wanted to try, and Wu did too, so… maybe that was enough. 

In the light of the sunrise, Morro breathed. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wu's character is kinda interesting because he's pretty passive as far as things go. His patience is a strength but also a weakness, and I just find that interesting. 
> 
> ANYWAY, I actually did art of Wu waiting for Morro a while back. Not related to the fic, but I figured I'd link it anyway slkfmaomeoaw 
> 
> https://ninja-knox-ur-sox-off.tumblr.com/post/630194566661816320/waiting-for-morro-to-come-back-im-in-an-angsty
> 
> HOPE YOU ENJOYED THAT CHAPTER, GO DRINK SOME WATER AND MAKE SURE YOU SLEEP AND REMEMBER COMMUNICATION IS SUPER IMPORTANT IT IS LITERALLY THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDING IS TWO PEOPLE LISTENING AND TALKING TO EACH OTHER, HUMANS AREN'T MIND READERS. 
> 
> ANYWAY, LOVE YOU GUYS, HAVE A GREAT DAY <33 (TWO CHAPTERS LEFT *SCREAMS*)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One step forward, two steps back, and another shaky step forward.

They started out small. 

Just like with the water, and the training, and the food, and everything Morro had been doing since he’d landed on the ferry... they started out small. 

Wu adjusted his schedule since Morro was not ever going to rise before the sun ever again; getting up for training was hard enough, he was absolutely not going to get up earlier than that to join Wu in his early (much too early) morning meditation. So they held their shared meditations in the evening before bed instead. 

They were mostly breathing exercises, familiar ones, but ones he hadn’t used in a long time, so it took some time to get used to them again. 

Wu was endlessly patient with him, even when he got frustrated that he couldn’t do something as simple as  _ breathe right; _ his mentor had changed so little and yet so much. 

Their sessions forced his mind to calm and his body to relax. It was almost impossible not to slow down when Wu moved as though nothing in the world could get him to rush, completely unhurried, slow and steady. It felt like a drastic change compared to the Wu he had first trained with, who always seemed on edge and like there wasn’t enough time in the day for him to do all he wanted. An odd change but… not necessarily a bad one, he supposed. 

“Patience,” Wu said softly. 

Morro breathed. 

He did notice that the meditating helped him sleep better. His nightmares came a little less frequently after clearing his mind before he slept and the grounding reassurance that, while he slept alone in the dark, there were still people nearby was… helpful. 

Training with the ninja every morning continued, but Wu didn’t distance himself so much during it. 

“You two finally figure something out?” Kai asked him after Wu had corrected Morro’s stance before moving on to where Jay was attempting to escape Nya’s headlock and failing spectacularly. 

Morro couldn’t help but smile a little as Wu adjusted Jay’s stance for him and walked him through how to escape. “Something like that.” 

“Thank the gods,” Kai groaned, more dramatically than required. “Now I don’t gotta watch your longing stares anymore.” 

Morro scowled at him. “I didn’t stare  _ longingly _ \--” 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Kai grinned, then promptly grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the mat. 

“You suck,” Morro said from the floor, on his back, once he’d regained the breath that had been knocked out of him from the impact. 

“You’ll thank me for this later.” 

“Doubtful.” 

“Don’t make me throw you harder.” 

  
  
  
  


“I’m glad you two are talking,” Lloyd said softly, breaking the silence of the room that they were in. 

Morro didn’t open his eyes from where he was meditating. 

“You look a lot happier.” 

That made him open his eyes. 

He looked at Lloyd who just smiled at him. 

“Both of you,” he added honestly. 

Morro swallowed back the unexpected feeling in his chest and broke his gaze to look back down at the floor. 

  
  
  
  


The first time he created a small whirlwind of air in his hands he’d nearly cried. 

It was like reuniting with a long lost friend, or the other half of his soul he hadn’t completely realized he’d been missing. 

Then he’d almost had a panic attack, but Wu was there to pull him out of it, and talk him through his frustration, so it didn’t feel quite as hopeless as it could have. 

Start small. 

Breathe. 

Try again.

  
  
  
  
  


He woke up from a nightmare and couldn’t breathe. 

Kai seemed to notice he wasn’t doing so good that morning and didn’t throw him nearly as much during training. Lloyd stuck to his side for most of the day, and come evening, during meditation, he couldn’t focus or breathe right. It felt like any progress he’d made towards regaining his elemental power had been erased. He hadn’t even felt like eating and had thought much too hard when grabbing a cup of water earlier; his lips felt dry and cracked. 

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. 

Wu stood up and moved closer to him before sitting down in front of him and taking his hands in his own. 

“Morro,” he said softly and then waited until he looked at him. “It’s alright.” He pulled him into a hug and Morro squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face in his shoulder. 

“Progress is a slow journey at times,” Wu told him. “Be patient with yourself.” 

Morro took a shuddering inhale and tried to breathe. 

  
  
  


Cole appeared in his doorway later that evening as he sat on his bed leafing through the pages of a comic book Jay had leant him. 

Morro looked up in confusion as he walked into his room, Lloyd following close behind; he could see Zane lingering outside the door with a bowl of chips in his hand. He glanced between them all questioningly. 

“Sleepover,” Cole said, as he approached. 

“What?” Morro asked in bewilderment.

“Sleepover,” Cole repeated, then promptly picked him up off his bed, holding him over his head like he weighed no more than a pillow, and Morro let out a strangled incoherent sound of confusion and alarm as he started carrying him towards the door. He looked back at Lloyd for help but Lloyd just grabbed all the bedding off of his bed, gathering it up in his arms, and then followed them out of the room laughing. Zane too, only smiled at him when he looked to him for an explanation, and the three of them started down the hall with no such explanation, leaving Morro in his befuddlement. 

Kai was waiting for them down the hall and cackled at Morro’s most likely panicked looking expression. 

He didn’t realize where they were headed until Cole kicked open the door to the ninja’s shared bedroom and promptly dropped him on the floor on top of the mattresses that were covering said floor. 

Morro flailed and looked up at him in baffled shock that morphed into a panicked feeling. “Wait I--” Zane handed him the bowl of chips, effectively cutting him off before he could finish and Lloyd plopped down next to him, throwing his blanket over his shoulders and grabbed the chip bowl back before shoving his pillow into his hands instead, then settling down and grabbing his own blanket.

Nya pushed Morro over with her feet to make more room and he couldn’t even begin to even bother arguing as she climbed onto the mattresses and flopped down next to him, laying back against the mattress and stretching with a yawn. 

He felt hopelessly lost and more than a little panicked. No one seemed uneasy about him being in their room. He would have thought… 

“Relax, Greasy,” Kai said to Morro as he collapsed onto the mattress next to Lloyd. “You look like we’re gonna eat you alive or something.” 

“What are we watching?” Nya asked before he could respond. “And, no, Jay, we’re not watching any Fritz Donagane movies again, I need a break from that man’s face.” 

Jay and Lloyd jumped to defend the superiority of the Fritz Donagane movies, while Morro sat in conflicted silence, alternating between anxiety and gratitude and a whole other mix of emotions that he wasn’t really certain about. 

Eventually they settled on a movie, and set it up on a small computer that they all crowded around to see as Zane turned off the lights. They could have just headed to the lounge or brought the T.V into their room, but they all seemed much more content with piling on top of each other, with the much smaller screen, and he had to admit, it was a little bit comfier than the couch.

The movie was something that Morro had a bit of trouble understanding, but it at least did a good job of distracting him with it’s bright colours and loud music . He let himself zone out for most of it, doing his best to eat a little of the chips whenever the bowl was passed to him.

Jay and Kai were asleep by the time the ending credits were rolling and Nya had no qualms about shoving their unconscious bodies aside to make room so that everyone could actually lay down properly on the mattresses. Jay woke up long enough to roll over so that Nya didn’t accidentally push him off the mattress then went right back to sleep as though he’d never woken up. Kai, however, slept like a rock, even when Nya flopped on top of him after shoving him to the middle of the mattress so everyone could leech off his warmth--even though Morro was there. 

He couldn’t help but stare. 

Everyone got comfortable and Morro found himself laying on his side, under a blanket that wasn’t his, facing Lloyd, who seemed to notice his uneasiness and offered him a reassuring smile that he could only just make out in the dim lighting. 

“You good?” he asked quietly as Nya started snoring. 

“What if…” Moro’s eyes flicked across his face, and he pressed his lips together, his voice dropping into a quiet whisper. “I don’t want to make anything worse by being here.” 

Lloyd looked confused for a moment, then blinked in surprise, as though the thought hadn’t occurred to him, which was impossible. The last time Morro had checked he still had nightmares about him possessing him. To his confusion Lloyd just huffed, and looked at him for a moment, then reached out and tapped Morro’s hair that was blanketed over the pillow before settling back and smiling. “I think I’ll be okay.” 

Morro’s brows furrowed and he looked at him in halting confusion. 

Lloyd laughed softly. “Even if I do have a nightmare, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

Morro blinked. 

“You don't have the same face anymore,,” Lloyd murmured, closing his eyes and snuggling against his pillow. “I’ll be okay.” 

The world seemed to halt. 

Did... he really look that different? 

He opened his mouth, unsure of what he was about to say, feeling like he had to reply somehow, but stopped because Lloyd’s breathing had slowed, and his face was slack. 

Asleep, then. Like he hadn’t ripped Morro’s whole world out from under him. Again. 

He had a habit of doing that, didn’t he? Didn’t even realize it either. 

Morro rolled onto his back and stared up at the dark ceiling. Cole and Zane’s quiet murmuring voices started up a few minutes later, and he released the tumble of emotions he was feeling, letting himself close his eyes and just exist and breathe, listening to their quiet voices until sleep claimed him. 

  
  
  


There were nightmares that night, but not his. 

  
  
  


He was a light sleeper. So when Kai shifted one too many times, he was pulled back into consciousness.

He blinked his eyes open, and stared up at the ceiling, the quiet silence interrupted only by the ever-present hum of the ship’s engine and the collective breathing of the group as they slept. He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but it didn’t feel urgent so he let himself remain relaxed. 

It was a nice quiet moment in which he simply lay there, still half-asleep until his hearing picked up on the sound of muffled uneven breathing and he was abruptly very much wide-awake. 

He listened to the strained sound for a few moments. It was suddenly so much louder now that he’d noticed and was actually focusing on it. He recognized who it was and he froze, his spine prickling oddly as he lay there, unsure whether to feign sleep, or do something. Part of him screamed at him to pretend he’d never heard but… 

It didn’t sound like anyone else was waking up. 

He carefully rolled onto his side, making an effort to make as little sound as possible as he sat up, to look around the room. 

Kai was sitting up, hunched over his knees, curled up, one hand gripping his hair and the other pressed against his mouth to muffle the sound of his uneven breathing. It was almost unnoticeable in the dark, but his shoulders were shaking. 

Morro stared for much too long before tearing his eyes away and looking across the rest of the room. 

Nya, Lloyd and Jay were all still fast asleep and Cole and Zane nowhere to be seen, probably out in the halls somewhere. Their absence felt rather loud.

He considered waking one of them up, but before he could come to a decision Kai’s sharp intake of breath distracted him and he looked up to see the slight glint of eyes on him in the dark. 

They stared at each other for a moment, Kai looking just as caught as Morro felt before he looked away abruptly, shoulders tensing as he hunched further and turned his head away so Morro couldn’t see him. 

Morro felt like he was seeing something he wasn’t supposed to; watching Kai crumble felt like watching a diamond break, or a waterfall dry up, something that was unnatural and chilling, but… human. 

Kai wouldn’t look at him. 

Morro was moving forward before he could really think better of it, or even let any of his self-preservation instincts kick in. He was careful not to jostle any of the others and lowered himself to sit at Kai’s side before turning and adjusting himself before letting himself lean back until his back was pressed against his side. 

Kai jolted a little and Morro could feel him look up, but he kept his eyes on the outline of the mattresses in front of him and didn’t look back to check. He just stayed there, leaning back against Kai, offering his support without looking at him. 

There was a moment of silence, then Kai let out a disbelieving, shaky huff that might’ve been a laugh and Morro glanced back, anxiety making his heart beat a little faster, when he saw him looking at him. Kai’s eyes darted across his face for a moment, as if trying to read something, then he just looked at him, with an expression that said a lot more than Morro was willing to read into. He broke his gaze and lowered his head again, to rest on top of his knees. Morro turned his head forward again. 

Kai didn’t say anything, and neither did Morro. 

Quick, quiet footsteps made him look up and his eyes fell onto Zane who appeared in the doorway, his glowing eyes casting a light that made him squint before he turned it down and it wasn’t so blinding to look at anymore, dimming into a soft glow, barely noticeable in the darkness. Cole peeked over his shoulder. 

Morro looked at them as he felt Kai move behind him, probably looking up as well. 

A long moment of silence ensued. 

“Hey,” Kai said, in a hoarse, barely there whisper. 

Zane’s face softened and he stepped forward, making his way over to them, Cole following close behind. Zane carefully stepped over Nya and Jay and knelt in front of Kai, looking at him for a moment before pulling him into a hug, Cole plopping down to sit next to Morro and leaned back against them. 

As cautious as they were, the movement still jostled the mattresses and Nya sat up suddenly, bumping into Jay who flailed and accidently kicked Lloyd’s leg and then the three of them were awake and alert. 

Nya noticed them first, but she didn’t seem surprised, only smiled a little sadly and crawled over before flopping over her brother’s back to hug him from behind. 

Jay and Lloyd piled into the group hug as well and… 

It was so strange to be a part of something he’d only ever seen from a distance. 

No one said anything, but it didn’t feel like they needed to. 

Sleep tugged at his eyes and he didn’t bother trying to keep them open. Safe, comfortable and warm where he was, he let them close and let sleep claim him again. 

It was the best sleep he’d had in a long time. 

  
  
  
  


Morro woke up first. 

The light of the sun filtered in through the window and he sat up, rubbing his eyes, some sleep still clinging to him. A blanket slid off of him as he looked around, feeling awake but calm and unhurried. 

He took a moment to look at the others. 

Kai’s face was smushed into the mattress beside him, in what looked like an uncomfortable position but was still snoring, fast asleep; Nya and Jay had somehow ended up sprawled on top of Zane who seemed to have accepted his fate as a human pillow and powered down sometime during the night; Cole was sitting across from Morro on Kai’s other side, eyes closed and meditating, looking a lot like he was standing guard over them. 

He didn’t have time to grow concerned when he didn't see Lloyd because he heard quiet footsteps and he turned to see him standing in the doorway. 

Lloyd gave him a small smile. 

Morro managed one back, a lot smaller, but no less genuine. 

His nightmares seemed a lot further away. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had like... art for this chapter, but tumblr's broken and nothing on there is loading for me anymore, so I can't post it ;A; OOF, RIP ME LKMDFA;IOWE ;-; 
> 
> Like the Green Wanabean thing, I wasn't going to add Cole just showing up and saying sleepover and picking up Morro slkmfawoef but *shrugs* Again, drew some art to get it out of my system (which I'll figure out how to post eventually :') ) but it still ended up in the fic LOL I'm weak :') ksksdmfoqwfe 
> 
> Anyway! Home stretch, IT'S NEARLY OVER ;A; Drink some water! And remember, in the words of Wu (or the words of me because I wrote this fic LOL): Progress is a slow Journey. Be patient with yourself; even if you have some days where you feel like you've taken two steps back, when you've barely made it one step forward, I promise, you're still making progress and growing and changing and you're doing amazing. Just keep trying and living and loving and learning and you'll be okay <3 
> 
> HAVE AN AGGRESSIVELY AMAZING DAY <3 LOVE Y'ALL'S <3
> 
> Edit: HERE'S THE ART 
> 
> https://ninja-knox-ur-sox-off.tumblr.com/post/636872395697881088/from-chapter-16-of-my-fic-theres-always


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end, or rather, a beginning.

Morro kept his eyes closed. 

Let himself breathe for a moment. 

Then looked up into the mirror that he’d been avoiding. 

A person that he didn’t recognize stared back at him. 

His eyes darted across the unfamiliar face and he almost wanted to look behind him, just to check if there was someone behind him, even if he knew there wasn’t. 

He checked anyway. 

No one. 

He turned back to the mirror and reached up to touch a face that belonged to him, but didn’t look like his. 

The length of his hair, which brushed just past his shoulders seemed to have changed the shape and length of his face, not in a bad way, just a different one. The circles under his eyes were still present, he had a feeling they would always be there, but they weren’t as prominent as before. His skin wasn’t as ashen like it had been when he was a ghost. Even before he’d died he’d looked a lot like a scrawny half-starved nomad, but now?

No wonder Lloyd hadn’t been worried. He didn't even look like the same person. 

He looked… alive. 

He tried smiling, a small tilting thing that looked so oddly detached and unfamiliar, then frowning, then a scowl. Something bubbled up in his chest and he let it out, laughing almost disbelievingly, and feeling breathless. 

The unfamiliar face laughed with him. 

  
  
  
  


He took a shower. 

It was a fast one. Not nearly long enough to really properly clean his hair or anything, but he did it; and only panicked a little at the end. And maybe used some of his elemental power to dry himself off faster so he could breathe properly again. 

After a moment of deliberation he fished an elastic out of the drawer, one that probably belonged to Nya, but he doubted that she would mind him using it, and made an effort to tie his hair up. 

It came out as a bit of a lopsided, disaster of a bun, but it made his chest feel lighter. 

He looked at himself in the mirror again. 

Warm. Clean. Awake. Alive. 

Huh. 

Inhale. Exhale. 

Start again. 

  
  
  
  


When the time for training came, he didn’t know if Kai was more surprised at him having showered, or of the fact that he’d woken up before him and actually beat him to the training room. 

Morro caught his arm during the warm-up and flipped him onto the mat. 

Kai stared up at him in offended shock and Morro grinned at him with his teeth. 

“Lose your balance?” 

Lloyd laughed. 

“Oh,” Kai said, scrambling to his feet. “Oh, it is  _ on _ .” 

  
  
  
  


Morro didn’t get another flip in that morning, and spent most of training on his back on the mats with the air knocked out of his lungs. He got back at him for it later by using his elemental power to mess up Kai’s hair, though. 

Sure he’d had to run for his life after doing so, but it had been worth it to see his look of outrage. 

And the way the others had laughed maybe hadn’t been so bad either. 

  
  
  
  


He helped Cole prepare lunch before heading outside to sit in the crow’s nest for a while so he could feel the wind. 

Lloyd climbed up a little while later and handed him a plate before settling down next to him. 

Morro huffed a small laugh, looking down at the food. “Kai finally tell you I was up here?” 

“Nah,” Lloyd said dismissively, humour in his voice. “I’ve known for a while.” 

Morro laughed disbelievingly. Of course he did. “Is there anyone on this boat that  _ doesn’t _ know everything about me?”

“My mom, probably,” Lloyd shrugged, looking like he was fighting a smile. “You haven’t really even met her officially, I don’t think.” 

“Gotta wonder how that’s even possible when we’re all living on the same ship,” Morro remarked. “It’s not like it’s  _ that _ big.” 

“I think it was more because you were avoiding Uncle Wu and they spend a lot of time together,” Lloyd mused, tapping his chin in an exaggeratedly thoughtful motion. 

“Makes sense then,” Morro said, smiling down at the plate on his lap. 

With his hair up, the wind felt a little unfamiliar against his bare neck. Not in a bad way, just different. 

“It’s nice up here,” Lloyd said after a moment. 

“Yeah,” Morro agreed, with a small smile down at the clouds below them. 

Lloyd was quiet for a minute. “Peaceful,” he finally added, almost as an afterthought. He nodded once to himself as though deciding something, then pushed himself to his feet. 

“Aight,” he said, stretching slightly before looking down at him with a relaxed smile. “Enjoy your lunch. We’re gonna make cookies later, if you wanna come help out.” 

“I won’t be out here for much longer,” Morro told him, craning his head a little so he could look up at him. “I’ll meet you inside.” 

“Cool,” Lloyd said with a grin. “See in a few, then.” He moved to head down, but hesitated. 

Morro looked up at him questioningly. 

Lloyd looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end just offered him another smile. “Yeah,” he said, into the clear air. “See you inside.” 

With that, he retreated down the rigging, leaving Morro in the crow’s nest with his plate of food. 

Morro watched him head inside, Lloyd only turning back once to give him a wave, which he returned, before he disappeared indoors. 

He looked back out across the horizon and let himself breathe for a moment. 

Part of him wanted to stay up in the crows nest for longer, let himself get lost in the feeling of the wind on his skin for a while until the air grew colder and the sun started to set, but… he had something waiting for him inside. 

He smiled, the wind brushing at his hair and clothes. 

He wasn’t all the way better. He’d still have bad days; progress was a never-ending journey, he just had to be patient with himself, and remember that, whatever the future had in store for him… he had people, who, somehow, miraculously, cared about him; stronger together, never alone. 

Morro was going to be okay. 

Besides, “better” was a relative term. He was alive and learning and that’s what mattered, not some impossible destination or expectation of himself. He might always be a little afraid of water, he might never quite sleep through the night, he might never breathe quite right in the dark, but maybe that was okay. He was okay. 

He might not always be with the ninja and Wu. There might come a day in which he would leave to figure some things out, perhaps discover a few things about himself, maybe learn a little bit of something about his heritage and his past on his own, but there was no rush. Whatever the future held, he had his father, people who cared about, and who he cared about in return. He had their support to lean back on if he needed it.

The thought made him smile a little. There was still little apprehension and anxiety in his chest, but… not necessarily the bad kind. 

Alone in a crow’s nest, with his family somewhere below him, the Master of Wind ate his lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S OVER AAHHHH ;A; Kind of a short chapter for the end, kinda wish it was longer, but that's where it ended so that's where it stopped. ;-; I'M GONNA MISS THIS FIC SO MUCH AAAHHH ;A;
> 
> I just wanna THANK Y'ALL'S FOR EVERY COMMENT YOU'VE LEFT, AND FOR READING THIS AND STICKING THROUGH TO THE END, AND FOR LIKING MY DISASTER WRITING. IT REALLY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME KLSDFAMWEFOASDF <33 You've all been so nice, and it's been really really encouraging to see people liking my writing lskdfmawoef <33 YOU'RE ALL THE BEST!! LKDSFAWOF!! <333 
> 
> Some things I don’t really cover much in the fic, but are implied, are Cole’s troubles and trauma with being a ghost and Lloyd’s tendency to jump headfirst into helping people with an aggressive drive, partially because he’s a good person and partially because it means he doesn’t have to deal with his own trauma if he’s focusing on someone else. Not really covered, but hinted at all over the place and you can see them if you look lol sklamfsdlmasd. 
> 
> If y'all took anything from this fic, I hope it's that hydrating and self care is important kskdfoafw GO DRINK SOMME WATER LKDSFMWE <33 Thanks for sticking around and remember to take care of yourselves. My notes and this fic will always be here if you need a reminder :P 
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL, THANKS AGAIN, GO BE THE AMAZING PEOPLE ARE, AND REMEMBER! Whatever's happening, you're gonna be okay <3 
> 
> Keep an eye out for more fics from me in the future, cause I ain't done with Ninjago yet! lol :P kskdfmaowf
> 
> Thanks for reading! Knox out *finger guns*

**Author's Note:**

> Comments add ten years to my life, keysmashes, emoji's, rambles about your favourite food, whatever you wanna scream I'm all for it *makes grabby hands* My Tumblr's @ninja-knox-ur-sox-off if you wanna come scream at me there (and I also art sometimes) lksdmfaowief LOVE YA, THANKS FOR READING <3


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